H2O: The Next Generation
by scotterson34
Summary: Moving to Australia from the U.S. was hard for Sara Meyer. Although meeting new friends Mia and Katy, a trip to Mako Island changes everything. Now, she'll have to figure out how to live her life as an ordinary American girl and mermaid. And when the worst happens, she'll have to rely on her intuition to survive. But what happens when old faces return? Set after Season 3
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Australia

**Welcome to my Story, H2O: A New Generation! I really hope you love it. Make sure to review, favorite, and follow to keep notified on everything!**

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to Australia**

A slight gust of turbulence jolted Sara upward. Her eyesight went fuzzy for just a moment, as she attempted to understand where she was. She yawned once, removing a few strands of golden hair out of her pale blue eyes. She shook her head as the line of airplane seats in front of her became clear again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen we want to remind you that we will be landing in the Gold Coast in about fifteen minutes. So, make sure your seatbelts are fastened and we have hope you have a lovely time in sunny Australia!" A chipper flight attendant announced over the planes speakers.

Sara only slumped in her chair to pout. Here she was, flying to Australia to meet her parents who just so happened to be setting up their new home on the Gold Coast. It was infuriating. She left all her friends back home in America, only move across the entire Pacific Ocean to never see them again, as god forbid her dad had to take a bigger salary in Australia.

A tear threatened to form in her eye, but she rubbed it away before it could form. "What are you doing flying to the Gold Coast?" the middle aged Canadian woman next to her asked, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"Oh, just some stuff," was the only response Sara had for her. Either way, she was happy to be almost done with flying. It took her three flights to get her across the pacific, including a five hour drive across central Nebraska to get to the Denver Airport. Passing through Los Angeles, to Sydney, where she took a small and mostly crappy plane north to Gold Coast, all with very little sleep. Needless to say, she was tired and irritable.

The landing was smooth and Sara collected her bags. The Canadian woman attempted conversation twice more, but Sara only gave short answers and moved away. She didn't want to seem impolite, but she was more than ready to be done with it all.

When she reached the lobby, she saw an older gentleman with "Sarah Meyer" written in large black ink. _Great_ Sara thought to herself. _They couldn't even get my goddamn name spelled right._ Sara got the older man's attention and he quickly strolled over.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Meyer!" He spoke in a thick Australian Accent, "It's a pleasure to meet ya." He held out his hand, which Sara shook quickly. She didn't want to seem mean already, and he seemed nice enough despite misspelling her name.

"Yes. That is me. Although… My name is wrong. It's Sara, without an H."

"My apologies Ms. Meyer." He spoke. Sara managed a smile. She liked the Australian accent and couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. The gentleman grabbed her bags and hauled them out the front door of the airport, with Sara in tow. As soon as the sun hit her she immediately gasped out at how bright it was. She fumbled around in her backpack before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and throwing them onto her face. The gentleman giggled when he saw that. "Welcome to Australia," He joked. He pulled her bags up to a Black SUV and threw them in the back before opening the backseat door and Sara scuttled inside.

The drive through to her house was uneventful, or relatively so. This whole thing to Sara was still a gigantic farce having to leave her best friend behind in Gibbon. It wasn't fair. She began to pout again slightly. She shook it off. Her situation was already set in stone, so Sara was determined to make it work no matter what it took. She always wanted to move out of her hometown one day, but not in the middle of High School.

When the SUV began to slow, Sara looked around. She was in a neighborhood with exquisitely built and designed houses, each one backing up to a canal that eventually stretched to the ocean on the other side of a small inlet of land. She stretched her neck, barely catching the horizon line over the ocean in the distance before it disappeared behind the next house.

She sat backed in her seat and sighed. This was new for her, being from the center of a massive continent with a thousand miles at least for the ocean in any direction. She gulped at the thought of being so close to it now.

The driver pulled the car to the left, eventually stopping in front of a house backing up to a smaller cove, but even so, Sara could see the sea glimmering beyond it. Sara hardly noticed her parents running down the driveway to meet her. She stepped out of the SUV only to be blindsided by her mother in a massive bearhug. Despite Sara being a head taller and slightly more muscular than her petite and slim mother, her mother held on tight and wouldn't let Sara go.

"Mom…. Let me gooo…." Sara moaned, slightly annoyed by her mother's behavior. Sara looked to her father for support, who only shook his head and laughed at the both of them. He was far taller than the both of them at 6'4" tall, with the mass of a linebacker, which he had played as when he was in college. Although that was some years ago, and the muscle weight just moved to his stomach.

Her mother slowly let go, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry Sara. It's just so exciting to see you here after two weeks! How was the flight?"

"Three flights Mom. And they were tiring." Sara replied, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Well the important thing is that you're here," her father spoke up before giving her hug to Sara. His was less strong than her mother's, even despite his larger mass.

"Come inside!" Her mother exclaimed, "Come see our new house!" Before bounding into the house. She called back over her shoulder. "Paul? Dear, would you mind grabbing Sara's bags and bringing them in. Her father just grunted in affirmation in response and went to the trunk to grab her bags.

Sara followed her mother into the house, and it opened up into a beautiful living with large sofas and a TV spread against the corner with an open doorway across from her leading to a kitchen and dining room. Carpet ran from the door to the kitchen which led to granite tiling. It was much more than their previous house had been before.

"Well, what do you think?" her mother asked, smiling beaming from ear to ear.

"It's… Amazing!" Sara exclaimed. "But, how can we possibly afford this?"

"Your father's new job. It pays double what we earned in Gibbon. Plus with selling his previous company for a large sum, we had plenty of money for this house!"

"It's…. Wow… I can't believe it!" Sara replied, thoroughly impressed with the house.

"Come see the best part." Sara's mother beckoned her up the staircase to the other side of the living room. They climbed the steps up into a hallway with a few doors on either side. Sara's mother motioned to a door on her left. Sara cautiously opened the door and went in.

An immaculate bedroom lay before her, with a tall cabinet, large bed, and open closet. The walls were painted a pale blue, which was her favorite color. But wait… "Whose room is this?" Sara whipped around to her mother and asked.

"It's yours sweetie! I hope you love it!"

"I love it already," Sara replied, amazed at what it was. It was better than she ever hoped it would be.

"You also have your own bathroom as well," Her mother pointed out, gesturing toward the door in the far back corner. "Check out your room, see what you have. I'm going to go see what your father has gotten up to." She slowly left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Sara alone in her new room.

Sara walked forward, turning and checking out her new room. It was the perfect room she always wanted. _Maybe Australia won't be such a bad place after all._ She thought to herself. She fell backward onto her new bed. It was surprisingly softer than she imagined it to be, and she found herself relaxing. She closed her eyes, feeling peaceful. Before she could react, the jet lag hit her, and she was sound asleep within moments.

Sara opened her eyes and yawned. She had fallen asleep somehow. She patted down her pockets, before eventually finding her phone and pulling it out. It read 6:00. _I slept for five hours? Why haven't my parents gotten me yet?_ She got her answer when she rose up out of the bed to see both her bags and her backpack lying on the floor near the door. _I guess they dropped my bags off and let me sleep._

She yawned again before following the hallway back down the stairs and into the kitchen where her father was busy cooking supper. Her mother was on her laptop, scowling as she looked at the screen. Neither of them seemed to notice her as they were busy with what they were doing. "Hey," Sara spoke up, trying to get their attention.

Both their heads whipped around at the same time. "Good to see you!" Paul exclaimed, then went back to cooking.

"What are you making?" Sara asked to the back of his head.

"Chicken Paella," he called back without looking around. "But…" he grabbed a piece of paper with the recipe on it, looking at it and back to what he was cooking. "I don't know how it'll work though…" he shook his head and continued back to cooking "It should be ready in five minutes… maybe…"

Sara rolled her eyes at her father and went to her mother at the table still staring at her computer screen. "And what are you working on?" She asked.

"Well, two things actually," her mother answered without looking up from the screen. "With us moving here for your father's job, I'm looking for a job of my own here in Gold Coast. As well, both your father and I believe we should buy a boat for this family, considering we are close to the ocean."

"That's pretty awesome," Sara replied. Her mother nodded and returned to her search, obviously hard at work.

True to form, five minutes had passed and Paul emptied the pan he was cooking in into a large serving bowl and placed it on the table. "Dinner is served," He said, bowing in a jesting manner.

Sara ate quickly, trying to speak between bites. "So… I was thinking…. MMph…." She finished chewing before continuing. "I want to explore this area a little bit tonight before the sun goes down. Do you think that would be ok?"

"I'm not so sure Sara. You are still new here. Maybe we could all go tomorrow and we could show you what we've learned of the city from our two weeks here," her mother answered. Sara deflated immediately. She didn't want to stay cooped up with her parents.

"Oh Karen, let her go exploring a bit," her father said, coming to Sara's side.

"I suppose that's ok. Just be home by ten. Ok?" Karen affirmed. "10 o'clock on the button ok?"

"Ok Great!" Sara exclaimed. She hurriedly ate the last few bites of her meal and threw the empty plate onto the counter. "Great meal dad!" she called behind her as she raced toward the door, throwing her shoes on and out into the evening.

The sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon, but there were still at least a couple hours of pure daylight left, and Sara really wanted to enjoy them. The feelings of jet lag and homesickness for America were abated by Sara's new enthusiasm for checking out her new area. She took the steps off the porch and to her new life in Australia.

Sara had been walking for around ten minutes, continuing along her street until it turned left back towards the main road. She decided to instead travel along the coast, walking instead on a trail along one of the canals. She looked more into the distance to see a smaller harbor up ahead. She kept walking, staring out over the canal and to the glistening ocean beyond. She almost felt enamored by it. The prairies back home almost seemed like a sea, but that was nothing compared to the vastness she felt staring out over the ocean.

She rounded a bend to a few docks with planks heading downward where some boats had been parked. She leaned against a railing, staring out over the water. _I might be able to get used to this_. She looked forward along her path to see a small building with a few outside tables. A bright neon sign hung above the door.

"Rikki's Cafe…" She read aloud. It seemed interesting, so she headed inside. On the inside were bright colors. To the right was a stage of some kind with another "Rikki's Cafe" Neon Sign hung above it. In front of her was the front counter, with a menu board behind it.

She stepped up to the counter. A man just older than her stepped up behind it, he had dark brown hair and a look of confidence about him. Or was it arrogance? Sara couldn't quite tell. It could've been both. "Welcome to Rikki's Cafe. What can I get ya?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I.. uh… Can I get a mango smoothie?" She asked, seeing it was the only thing that caught her attention.

"You're not from around here I'm guessing?" he asked back.

"What was your first clue?" she quipped sarcastically.

"Mostly you sound like the most stereotypical American I've ever heard."

"Glad I could win your most stereotypical American voice award…" Sara just rolled her eyes. She figured it would just be something she would have to deal with here.

"Where are you from in the States?" he asked.

"Gibbon, Nebraska."

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah. It's a small town. Not a lot of people there. Not a lot of people even in Nebraska have heard of it. I get that quite a lot."

"So do you work on a farm then?"

"No. Are you done with your interrogation?"

"Well hold on, I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Can I just please get my goddamn smoothie please?" Sara was losing her patience. The first time she met someone new and already commenting how American she seemed and how annoying he'd become. _This could've gone better._

"Zane, please, just get her the juice already," shouted a voice behind her. She turned to see a girl with her arms crossed, looking quite peeved. She had the same hair color as Zane, but hers was wavy and hung at her shoulders. She was slightly thinner than Sara, but she might've had a half inch on her.

"Alright fine, I'll do it already," Zane spoke, "Just trying to have a conversation." He went behind the counter and began making her smoothie.

The girl walked up to Sara and extended a hand. "I'm Mia by the way. And sorry about Zane. He's a good guy, but sometimes he can get full of himself."

"I'm Sara. And obviously like Zane said, I'm not from around here." Sara smiled. Mia was the same height as her, but slim compared to Sara's more athletic body.

"I'll admit I've never met an actual American in person before. What brings you all the way across the Pacific Ocean?" Mia asked.

"My dad got a good paying job here, and now he moved here with me and my mother. So, here I am. Living a new life across the ocean." Sara replied, trying to make it light. Zane put her finished smoothie on the table, and Sara pulled out some Australian Dollars she picked up at Sydney airport and paid him.

"What do you think about Gold Coast so far?" Mia asked, as the two walked out into the patio area, sitting at an empty table.

"It's been ok I suppose. Well, all except for Zane I suppose," Sara joked.

Mia laughed. "Yeah he can be quite irritable at times. He is actually a good person. He runs the cafe very well. He named it after his girlfriend, and while she's gone at university in California, he keeps it running himself. They actually opened a second location not too long ago."

"Naming it after his girlfriend. I'm not sure whether that's adorable, or incredibly tacky."

"Maybe it's a little of both," Mia joked back.

"So… How do you know Zane so well? It seems like you two are close. Or at least close enough for him to listen to you."

Mia smiled. "He's my cousin. I'm glad he listens to me even though I'm younger than him by three years. He's nineteen and I'm sixteen."

"Hey! I'm sixteen as well!" Sara exclaimed.

"That's great! We'll probably have a few classes together then. When do you start classes?"

"In three days unfortunately. On Friday. I'm not sure I'll be ready but whatever. I have to do it."

"You'll be fine! I promise." Mia paused for a moment. "Where did you say you were from again?"

"Gibbon, Nebraska. Yes, I know it's a small town. No, I did not grow up on a farm. And no, I'm not used to being this close to the ocean."

"A lot of people will probably ask you this, but have you ever been to the ocean before?"

"Once. My family and I went to Disney World in Florida when I was nine. And we spent one day visiting the beach. And that was it. I suppose it's weird to you that I've only been to the ocean once, considering you probably grew up next to it and know not much else besides life near the sea." Sara explained.

"Even so, I still think the ocean is amazing after all my years of living here." They both looked out over the ocean. The sun had begun to set behind them, casting an orange glow in front of them.

Mia turned her gaze over Sara's shoulder, seemingly noticing someone behind her. Sara turned to see another girl walking over to where their table was. Mia waved her over. The girl smiled when she saw Mia and quickly came over. "Hey Mia! How's it going?" the girl asked, and Mia stood up and gave the girl a hug.

"Pretty great. Although Zane was being a pain earlier." Mia replied, as they released the hug. She gestured toward Sara. "Katy, this is Sara she's new to the Gold Coast. Sara this is my friend Katy."

Sara stood up out of her chair to shake Katy's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said to Katy. She had a big smile on her face and brightness in her green eyes. She seemed quite happy-go-lucky. Her copper hair hung long toward the center of her back. She seemed barely over five feet even more than half a foot shorter than both Mia and Sara.

"American I'm guessing?" Katy asked immediately.

"Yes. I'm American." Sara replied, almost rolling her eyes again. But she restrained herself, trying to make a good impression. She turned back to Mia. "I suppose everyone I meet here will probably ask if I'm American." She joked.

Mia chuckled. "Probably so, considering how different you sound from everyone in Australia. I wouldn't pay no mind to it. You might get some slight attention from it, but once people get used to it they won't care."

Sara sat down again and Katy pulled up a chair next to Mia. "So Sara," Katy asked, "Where are you from in the States? I've actually been there on holiday with my family before, I want to see if I've been to where you're from."

"I'm from Gibbon, Nebraska, and I'll probably be asked that multiple times as well," Sara joked, trying to be funny. She knew Katy wouldn't know where that was.

"Oh I've actually been to Nebraska!" Katy exclaimed. "About three years ago my family went on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York and we went through Nebraska."

"Really? Surprising. But you probably didn't go to my hometown. It has something like two thousand people and that's it."

"Don't worry about it. It's not about where you're from, it's about where you're going!" Katy replied, almost bubbly with energy.

Sara laughed. She felt like she really could connect with Mia and Katy. Even though she left her best friend Jenny back home in Gibbon, it was good to meet new people and make new friends. The three continued talking for a few hours, with the eventually setting, the lights of the harbor lighting up to signify the night.

It was some time later when Sara looked at her phone for the first time in a while. "Crap!" She exclaimed, "I gotta be home in like five minutes or my parents will lose it."

"No worries," Mia spoke. "We'll text you later." Sara quickly exchanged phone numbers with the two of them and she ran off into the night back in the direction of home. Luckily it wasn't too far and she remembered where she was going. She continued running. It was good that she had started doing running workouts back in America or it would've been much harder. She easily breezed through the half mile or so back to her home, bursting through the door just as the time hit ten.

Her parents were in the living room flipping through the TV channels when she returned, perking up when they saw her come through the door. "Sara! You're back!" her mother exclaimed. She got up to greet Sara, pulling her into a big hug. "How was it? Do you like the neighborhood so far?"

"It's pretty good. I met some new friends as well!" Sara replied.

"That's amazing sweetie. See, Australia may not be so bad after all." Karen replied, releasing her daughter.

 _We shall see, mom._ Sara thought. But, she couldn't hide the optimism in the back of her mind after meeting Mia and Katy. And maybe, just maybe, things might just turn out well in Australia. It was the first time she felt slight confidence about.

 **A/N: I actually wrote this story many years ago. It wasn't until recently that I actually found it and read it again. And I hated it. So, I'm writing this all from scratch. Hope you love it!**


	2. Chapter 2: Going to Mako Island

**Just a quick disclaimer, I own nothing of the H2O universe. I only own my own characters. Anyway, back to it!**

 **Chapter 2: Going to Mako Island**

Sara hung out with Mia and Katy a few more times over the next days. They told her all about the neighborhood, Gold Coast, and Australian culture. Sara began to feel that she really connected with the both of them. But it was inevitable that Friday morning came and going to a new school was right around the corner, and that was the case for Sara.

She woke up to a blaring alarm at seven am. She cursed softly under her breath. The past few days she didn't even need an alarm, and now here it was, wailing straight into her face. Sara almost wanted to cry that now instead of having fun and goofing off, she had to go to school.

She begrudgingly pulled herself out of bed and into her bathroom. Her golden hair hung loosely over her face. She splashed some cold water over her face to wake herself up, then went downstairs for breakfast. Her parents were already in the kitchen when she arrived. Paul was pouring over the newspaper and drinking coffee, while her mother stood over the stove cooking scrambled eggs for the three of them. Her father looked up from his newspaper when he noticed her. "Good Morning Sunshine!" he joked. Sara only grunted in response. She grabbed a coffee for herself and downed it in ten seconds flat.

Her mother poured some eggs onto her plate, and she ate without too much fuss. She just wanted to start this day on the right foot. She got ready as quickly as she could and was about to leave for school. She needed to meet Mia and Katy near the front of the school soon. Her mother stopped her before she got to the door. "Sweetie, let's get a picture for the first day at your new school!" Karen spoke to her.

"Do I have to?" Sara moaned. _Why do my parents have to do mushy crap like this?_

"Of course Sara. We want to remember this day. You're first school day in Australia." Her mother replied. Sara wanted to complain, but she knew it would just delay the inevitable. She just smiled as her mom snapped a few photos, and then she left without a second thought.

The sun was bright again that day, blasting Sara with its rays. She shook it off and continued toward school. The salty air hung thick around her, blowing from over the ocean. Although she would admit she did enjoy the different atmosphere versus back home in Gibbon.

She arrived at school within fifteen minutes. A parade of students were all walking through the gates around her. She almost felt lost in a sea of faces. She continued among through the front gates to come across a courtyard with different buildings surrounding her. _How am I ever gonna find Mia and Katy?_ She wondered, but continued toward their supposed meeting place: A tall tree with benches around it.

Katy saw her even before she could react. "Sara!" she yelled over the noise. Sara looked around aimlessly, trying to find the source of the sound until she saw Katy and Mia waiting for her at the base of the tree.

"You look a little lost," Mia joked to her when she finally got to them.

"Oh please, it's my first day," Sara rebutted. "I'm not used to high school being out in the open air. The one I had back in America was just in a boring brick building and all enclosed. It could be claustrophobic at times."

"It's a pretty great system here. I love being out in the open air," Katy chimed in. "What's your schedule looking like today?"

"I'm not really sure," Sara replied. "I'm meeting with the Principal today to go over it, and she'll walk me to my different classes so I'll know where they are and introduce me."

"Lucky you," Mia joked. Sara said goodbye to Mia and Katy and found her way to the Principal's office who was a short and jolly older woman pushing sixty, but she was nice so Sara appreciated her help.

"Don't you worry about anything Sara. I will personally make sure everything goes well for you," The principal went on. Sara smiled and went along with it, although in the back of her mind she was decently nervous about having to meet all her new classmates. Would she even fit into this high school? Sure she had Mia and Katy. But would they have any classes together at all? She followed the principal to her first class, World History.

The principal knocked once and entered. The teacher noticed immediately the two guests his classroom had, and stopped teaching for a moment. "Class, it seems as though we have some visitors," he spoke to them. Every pair of eyes moved onto Sara and the principal. Nervousness coursed through Sara.

"Hello everyone!" The principal exclaimed, "You all have a new student today from America. Everyone, this is Sara." The whole class stared at Sara, almost waiting for her to say something.

"Hey everybody," she said quickly, trying to seem as normal as possible. She looked across the room. Katy and Mia were not in this class. _Well, I can't expect them to be in every class._ She thought to herself.

The teacher spoke up. "Sara, you sit on the left side next to Marian." He gestured toward an open seat next to a pretty blond girl with what Sara thought was a bit more makeup than what a normal person should have. She slunk into her desk, carefully pulling out a notebook and pencil to be ready for the class.

The first class went about as normal as expected, much to Sara's relief. She didn't want too much drama on her first day. But, as they were beginning to pack up, she noticed the girl next to her, Marian, eyeing her suspiciously. "So, where are you from exactly in the States?

Sara gulped. She knew this part would be coming. "It's called Gibbon, Nebraska. And it's a small town in the center of the country." Sara barely looked up as she put her supplies away.

"Oh, so you're like a farmer or something?"

"No… I'm just a normal American girl from a small town…" Sara was getting even more annoyed now.

"Wait what's that American word I'm looking for…" Sara had gotten up. She didn't want to listen to Marian anymore so she just started leaving the class as the bell had rung. "Oh yeah it's redneck isn't it? That's like in all the American movies. You're a redneck aren't ya?" Sara stopped dead in her tracks. She hated that word. It made her feel dumb and stupid and as if she didn't belong in regular society. But Marian continued, "I guess you are then being from Nebraska. It was nice to meet you Redneck Girl." And she laughed.

Sara's ears burned as she was already out of the classroom. She met the principal again and continued to her next classes. Luckily, she didn't have Marian in the others. Unluckily, Mia and Katy were nowhere to be seen as well. Even more so, through each subsequent class, she heard whispers of Redneck Girl as she went along. It made her even more worried. Apparently, Marian had the means to get word out quickly about her new supposed nickname.

Lunch arrived, and due to scheduling, there were two different lunch periods. And yet again to Sara's dismay, Mia and Katy had the opposite lunch period from her. _My two new friends and I have nothing at school with them. I have three classes after lunch. I just hope one of them has either of them._

She eventually found herself sitting under the same tree she had met Mia and Katy earlier that morning, eating her food quickly and refusing to draw attention to herself. It seemed as though the problems would be starting soon, Sara hoped she could fight them whatever they seemed.

"Hello there," came a voice from above. She looked up. There was a man standing above her, sandy blonde hair, looking quite attractive, but she almost paid it no mind. She didn't want any more attention.

"What do you want?" Sara said flatly.

"Look, I understand what happened with Marian earlier. She may have gotten under your skin." He replied, trying to sound nice.

"Why do you care? Have you come to berate 'Redneck Girl'? Because that's what everyone seems to think of me, and I've only been at this school for a few hours."

"Marian is my cousin. I've known her for years. I even know her boyfriend Mitch. We both play on the Rugby team. So I know her. She's an ok person. Don't take anything she says to mind. I'll talk to her about it. Get her to drop it."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Word got out that quickly. There's no way she would listen to anything you have to say. Besides I can handle it myself."

"Look, my name's Blake." He extended a hand to her.

"I'm Sara. Or 'Redneck Girl' whatever you prefer," she joked trying to improve her mood. It didn't work. She shook his hand.

"Well, Sara, just to let you know, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope Marian doesn't give you too much trouble. I just wanted to make sure you didn't hate the entirety of your first day." Blake smiled and left.

 _He's cute._ Sara thought to herself. _But probably not my type._

The whispers of Redneck Girl continued throughout the day and her classes. But finally, luck had begun to blow in her favor. Her final class of the day, the principal brought her into her last class and introduced her like usual. But then she looked to the back to see Mia and Katy both there in the back. They both waved when she saw them. _About time! I finally have my friends!_

She was put in a chair a couple spots away from them. "How's it going?" Mia asked quietly before the teacher continued the lesson.

"Could be better, but at least this is the last class of the day," Sara replied.

Mia smiled and turned back to face the front as the teacher continued the lesson on Biology. Sara managed a half-smile herself. At least now she had friends in this class, after so long.

Class ended quickly, and the three girls quickly exited the classroom and out of the school grounds. "All ok on your first day?" Katy asked to Sara.

"Besides having a new nickname of 'Redneck Girl' that everyone in the school seems to be using to refer to me? It wasn't as bad as it could've been," Sara replied.

"Don't worry about Marian. She causes commotion like this sometimes, but it never lasts that long." Mia spoke up.

"I sure hope you're right," Sara responded. She looked far out over the school grounds to see Marian necking with a tall guy with jet black hair. "Look there's the bitch now. That must be her boyfriend Mitch right?"

"Yes that's right…" Katy began.

"Biggest arse hole in the entire school. No one likes him except for his rugby buddies and Marian for some reason." Mia butted in.

"How did you know that anyway?" Katy asked.

"Eh, this guy named Blake came up to me at lunch told me about Marian and Mitch. Said he was Marian's cousin and he knew Mitch from rugby or something. Whatever something like that." Sara explained.

"You met Blake Everton?" Katy's eyes seemed to beam.

Mia scoffed angrily next to her. "What's wrong with him?" Sara asked.

"Some popular arse clown. Fakes being nice to everyone. Too popular, all the girls fall all over him. Not a big fan." Mia mumbled.

"Mia used to be best friends with him in Elementary School. But, he got popular in middle school leaving Mia behind. She's hated Blake and everything and everyone popular ever since," Katy explained.

"Whatever, I might have something that'll cheer us all up," Mia said excitedly, "Katy and I are planning on going on a boat trip in an hour. You should come with us! Maybe you'll get more used to the wide ocean then."

"That sounds fun! I'll have to get it by my parents first…"

"No… That's not a good idea. You know nothing about the waters around here," Sara's mother denied, standing in front of her. Sara had returned home quickly, wanting to ask her parents as soon as possible, trying to contain her excitement. But her mother's answer had put a damper on everything.

"Please mom?"

"I don't think it's a good idea. You could get lost or hurt or worse!"

"Mom, I really trust my friends. It'll all be fine!"

"Sara, we don't know much about the ocean at all. I wouldn't be ok with it."

Sara began to feel a tear form. "You were the one excited to move here," Sara began. "You said I would love it. You said I would meet a lot of new friends. Well, I have made friends. They're good friends. And yet, three days gone by you're already denying me this opportunity." Sara could've gone on but she felt she made her point.

Karen just stood there stunned. She didn't know what to say to Sara. It was her father that broke the silence. "Oh Karen, just let her go. This is her chance to make new friends, get used to the ocean. It'll be good for her. Better that we know what she's doing and where she's going."

Sara looked at her mother with pleading eyes. Karen thought about it for a few seconds. "Oh alright. I suppose it would be good for you."

Sara jumped with elation and squeezed her mother in a great hug. "Thank you so much Mom!"

"Of course Sara. Just be sure to be back by…" But Sara was gone before her mother could finish the sentence, leaving Karen flabbergasted in the living room.

But, Sara was already racing toward Rikki's Cafe, where Mia told her their boat was waiting. It took her only eight minutes to get there. She found Katy and Mia waiting for her when she arrived. "You made it!" Katy exclaimed and hugged her.

"I wouldn't miss this chance," Sara smiled. Mia motioned down one of the gang planks onto one of the floating piers to see...

"Zane?" she asked accidentally out loud.

Zane whipped up at his name being called. "Oh hey it's the American Girl." he replied with a smirk.

"We're borrowing Zane's boat," Mia explained. "With him being busy at the Cafe a lot, he hasn't really had much time to use it, so he allows me to borrow it sometimes."

Zane got up from his boat, handing the keys to Mia. "Ok. The tank is full, and everything should be in working order. Oh, and remember, avoid Mako Island as per usual."

"Yeah of course. Like always Zane," Mia replied, rolling her eyes.

"And have fun! Be safe!" he said, walking away and back up toward the Cafe. The three girls piled into the boat, and Mia pulled away from the docks and in the direction of the open sea.

"Where are we going?" Sara asked.

"Oh, we're going to Mako Island." Mia replied, a determined look on her face.

Concern shot through Sara. "But why? Isn't that where Zane said not to go?"

"Ha. He always says that. There's nothing wrong with Mako Island, yet he keeps saying that we shouldn't go there every time we borrow his boat. So you know what, screw what Zane thinks. We're going to Mako Island," Mia explained, even more tenacious.

"Don't try to stop her," Katy said to Sara. "She's been determined about this for over a week. Besides! It'll be fun! We'll get to see a deserted island and everything." Sara sat back in her seat. _Looks like I'm just along for the ride. But this is kinda what I wanted._ Katy reached backward and pulled out a clear plastic case and handed it to Sara. "Put whatever you don't want to get wet in this case, especially your phone. You may not need it, but it's extremely important in case water gets near anything you have of value." Sara nodded and placed all her pocket items into it.

Some time later, Sara squinted into the distance. She saw a small peak cresting at the horizon of what looked like a mountain. "What is that?" she asked to whoever was listening.

"That is where we are headed. Mako Island." Mia spoke, deadlocked on the peak in the distance. As they drew closer, the peak became seen as an island with a volcano in the center. They seemed to be heading to a small beach, directly ahead. Mia cut the engines just mere yards from the beach. "Get out and let's pull it ashore." She commanded to Katy and Sara.

They pulled the boat up onto shore and out of the waves. Sara sat back on the sand, staring out over the ocean. It almost scared her that she couldn't see the mainland from there. But she trusted the other two enough. Mia and Katy sat on either side of her. "So, what do you think? Magnificent isn't it?" Katy asked Sara.

"It's beautiful and scary all at the same time. I never had anything like this in Gibbon. A few small ponds and lakes. But this… This is truly insane."

"I'm glad you love it so much," Mia spoke up. "The sea is an amazing living being." They all sat there for a time, enjoying each other's company, laughing about life. It was Mia who stood up some time later. "Ok. I really want to explore the island on foot. Zane can't stop me now!" She exclaimed, and she proceeded toward the more jungled area. Sara and Katy just shrugged and followed her into the jungle.

The hot and heavy heat of the jungle clung to Sara. She wiped her brow with her shirt. She followed closely behind Mia just in front of her with Katy bringing up the rear. Luckily, the underbrush was not that heavy so getting through it was pretty easy.

They reached a large stream soon, with a rock outcropping up above them. Mia seemed to pick the best path following the stream and heading for the outcropping toward the center of the stream. "Try to keep up!" she laughed after them.

Sara continued upward staying close to Mia, who in a moment, jumped toward the outcropping. She landed with a thump, staying her footing. "Guys check this out!" she spoke to them. Sara then made the leap to the rock, followed by Katy. Sara couldn't believe her eyes. They were slightly above the treeline following the stream, and could see all the way out to the ocean across the way, with the sun beginning to dip to the horizon, casting it into a golden hue. Mia nudged Sara, "Bet there's nothing like that in Gibbon."

"Nothing… Nothing at all…" she murmured, mesmerized by the beautiful view. _As long as I live, nothing in Gibbon will ever be as amazing or beautiful as this._

"Let's continue on…" Mia never finished the sentence. She took a step and disappeared down a hole in the rock. She didn't even have time to scream. Sara was still looking at the ocean in the distance and didn't see Mia disappear, it was that quick.

"MIA!" Katy screamed rushing over to where she had disappeared. "Where could she have gone?" Katy frantically paced around the area Mia had been. "MIA!" Katy yelled again, hoping Mia could hear her. "Where are…!" but Katy took a wrong step, and she was gone as well.

Sara rushed to where Katy fell in. Overly cautious, she approached the stepping point where her two friends had disappeared. She looked around, and finally found a small hole, a yard across, with darkness in the bottom. She got down on her knees and leaned over it, peering in, and trying to get a better view. "Mia! Katy! Are you down there?" She yelled. She leaned closer, trying to see into the darkness.

She leaned too far. Sara lost her balance and fell arms forward down the hole. She slid a for a bit before seeing a bit of light, only to collide directly into Mia and Katy at the bottom, and the three of them tumbled over in a pile of bodies. "Ow! They all exclaimed at once.

"Sara! Get off of us!"Mia exclaimed at the bottom of the pile. Sara groaned and rolled off, pulling herself to her feet, before helping up Katy and Mia.

"Where are we?" Katy asked.

"Some kind of cavern I think," Mia replied.

"No shit sherlock," Sara retorted.

"Any better ideas then?" Mia spat back.

"We could follow that cave," Katy spoke up, trying to break the tension. She pointed forward toward a tunnel leading away from the current room they were in.

"Ok. Let's do it," Sara said. The three of them carefully picked their way through the cave. It was dark, but some light was coming from in front of them. They climbed up some stone stairs, only to be emptied out into a bigger stone cave with a sandy floor. They looked around, wondering what they would see. Pushed against the far wall was a small pool, twelve feet in diameter, with clear blue water.

"This is incredible!" Katy exclaimed.

"It's so.. Serene," Sara put in. They walked toward the pool and looked upward, only to see twinkling stars directly above them.

"We must be under the volcano itself!" Katy exclaimed. "This is awesome!" A faint blue glow was coming from the pool itself.

"Why is it doing that? Sara asked.

"I have no idea…" Mia responded. "Wait a minute…" She examined the water more closely. "I got it! This might be our way out of here!"

"What do you mean?" Sara and Katy asked in unison.

"It looks like there is an underground passage here. Let me check it out!" With that, Mia dove under the water and out of sight.

"Mia!" Sara yelled and went to the edge of the moon pool.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine." Katy reassured Sara, "Mia is a great swimmer. I'm pretty good myself, but Mia has been swimming for years."

For several minutes, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, Mia appeared in the pool and burst through the surface, taking a deep breath. "It's a way out!" she exclaimed. "And the exit is near the boat! I almost couldn't find the entrance to this cave, but the full moon was bright enough to light the way. Come on!"

Katy immediately jumped in, ready to go. They both looked up at Sara who stepped back looking quite pale. "What's the problem?" They both asked her.

"I… I… I grew up in Nebraska. There were no oceans around. I never learned fully how to swim," She said, being afraid for her life almost.

"It'll be fine! Just come on!" Katy spoke to her.

"I just can't… Maybe there's another way…"

"Sara, there isn't another way! We have to do this now!"

Mia chimed in. "Sara, let me help you, I'm a great swimmer. I know you're athletic so you can be ok. Grab my hand, and I'll make sure we both get out just fine." Sara slowly nodded, inching her way toward the pool. She lowered herself into the pool. Mia looked her in the eyes. "Hey, we are going to get out of this ok? Just kick as hard as you can and focus. When I pull up, just come up with me. Ok?" Sara nodded. "Good. Now let's…" She stopped in mid sentence.

All three of them looked up to see the full moon cresting the opening to the volcano above them. Suddenly, the water around them began to bubble and slightly become warmer. Lights floated upward from the pool and toward the moon in the distance, as it became directly overward. This continued for a minute, and the mesmerized girls could not take their eyes away from what was going on around them.

Soon, the moon left the top of the crater, and the bubbles and lights ceased, leaving the cavern the way it was before it started. "That was weird…" Sara pondered.

Mia shook her head. "Ok. Now, let's go." She grabbed Sara's hand, Sara took one last big gulp of air, and the three of them shot off underwater. Sara kept kicking as fast as she could, hoping to just get through it. She kept kicking and kicking, propelling herself through the water. Soon, she felt an upward pull from Mia, and she angled her body upward, kicking even harder.

Sara's head burst through the surface, and she took a large breath, happy to be back in the air. "See that wasn't that bad!" Mia told her as Sara wiped her eyes clear. "The boat is that way," Mia said. They used the light of the moon to guide them and eventually found the boat they had left on the beach, collapsing into it.

"Let's just go home please…" Katy pleaded.

"I couldn't agree more." Mia affirmed. They launched the boat, and Mia sped it off into the night. Sara couldn't tell what happened back there in the pool. But, she wanted to find out what it was.

 **I've got some great plotlines planned out for the story. Stick around! It's only gonna get better from here! Leave a review on what you're thinking**


	3. Chapter 3: A Scaly Tail

**I hope you all like where this is going! I have built up a backlog of chapters, so I want to try to release one every week. If you love the story, give it a review. They keep me motivated to keep writing.**

 **Chapter 3: A Scaly Tail**

Sara stood on the dock behind her house, the ocean staring her in the face. She scowled at it. _I'm done being scared of this_. She didn't sleep at all the previous night, tossing and turning. The events that happened were imprinted into her mind. She felt so angry at herself for the night before and having to be helped by Mia. She felt so powerless. So, she decided. She needed to learn to swim. Or, at least she needed to break her fear of the water.

Dawn had just broken over the water in the distance, and Sara stood there in her bathing suit, shivering slightly in the morning air, the intimidating water close to her toes. _You can't beat me ocean._ She thought to herself. She steeled her nerves for a second, preparing her mind. She dipped a foot into the water. It was surprisingly warm for it being the early morning. Sara was determined now, she had to find a way to…

Suddenly, Sara felt a strange tingling sensation race from her stomach all the way down to the tips of her toes. She immediately lost her balance, and crashed forward, falling face first into the water. In a panic, she twisted and turned, blind under the water. She tried to kick her legs, but they weren't working. She flailed her arms, but all she seemed to do was sink. _This can't be it! I can't drown! Please!_

Sara almost cried out, and in a desperate attempt, opened up her eyes. Surprisingly, she could see fine. Perfect even. It was actually clearer than seeing above ground. The water around her was more serene than she ever thought possible. The water almost seemed to relax her.

Sara calmed for a second. She realized she didn't feel the sensation to breathe. She just, didn't do anything and she felt fine. It was almost too peaceful under the surface. _What's going on with me. Why is it like this I mean…_ She looked downward. There were no legs connected to her body. There was only a giant glittering orange fin underneath her. The water muffled her scream. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

She opened her eyes again to see the tail remained. _No no no no no! What is this?_ She kicked once with her tail, and she shot upward, breaking the surface of the water. She breathed in and out quickly, staring at the giant fin laying underneath her. _What is wrong with me?_ She spun again, kicking her tail, and she propelled herself back to the dock. _I need to get out of here. Find Mia and Katy! See what's going on!_ She reached backward, grabbing the edge of the dock with both hands.

With all the strength she could muster, Sara pulled herself out of the water and onto the wooden surface, resting there for a moment. _Fish out of water I guess._ She groaned at the joke she tried to make. She reached upward, grabbing her towel from one of the posts above her. She frantically wiped down her body and her new fin, drying herself off as quickly as she could. Within a few tense minutes, the strange sensation returned, and Sara looked down to see her legs returning, as well as her swimsuit.

Sara jumped to her feet. _I gotta call Mia and Katy!_ And she raced back up to get her phone. She burst into her house, careful to be quiet and not to wake her parents. This would be something almost impossible to explain. She hurried up the steps and into her room, frantically dialing first Mia's number. A few rings passed. _Come on Mia pick up! Pick up!_

"H-...Lo?" Came the tired response on the other end from a half-asleep Mia.

"M-Mia, something happened to me. I just… I can't explain? I don't know I have a few… I just I don't know!" Sara stammered in a panic, blindly throwing out words.

"Sara… It's 6:30 in the morning. On a Saturday. And, we had a busy night last night. This had better be important." Mia mumbled.

"Ok. Mia… This is gonna sound crazy, but bare with me. Go into the bathroom… And, just, try pouring water on your foot. You have to trust me and do this right now. And be sitting down as well. If nothing happens at all, I'll owe you juice for a full week." Sara tried to explain. "And take the phone with you. Keep me informed on what happens."

"UGHHH… Sara, this better be something! I'm gonna get free juice for a week I guess," Mia groaned and went to the bathroom. She filled a cup with water and sat down on the floor. "Ok so all I have to do is pour this on my foot? And I get free juice for a week?"

"If nothing unusual happens, on my honor, I'll do it. Just please do it. And just try it on your foot. I think that's the best thing," Sara replied. _At least that's all it took for me._

"Ok, whatever." Mia dumped the water on her foot. A few seconds passed. "Nothing is happening Sara. Looks like you owe me…" Mia cut off. Sara heard a slight shimmering sound happen on the other line, then silence.

"Mia? Mia? MIA?" Sara spoke into the phone. No response from Mia. Sara panicked that something even worse happened to her.

A few seconds later, a response came from Mia, quiet and scared. "S-Sara… What is going on… W-why is there a scaly tail attached to me where my legs used to be. What's going on…?"

"I don't know. I just don't know. I called you because it happened to me as well this morning!"

"You too? But, how did this happen to us? What are we? And, if you and I both changed, it had to have happened last night! But, that could also mean…"

"KATY!" they both exclaimed.

"We gotta warn her!" Mia shouted through the line. "Hold on! She's calling me right now, I'll put us to 3-way call." Mia hit the button, "Katy?"

The normal happy-go-lucky Katy had a response of pure terror. "What the hell has happened to me? I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I poured myself a nice bath, and when I got in my legs turned into a tail! A Scaly Tail! Why do I have a tail? What's wrong with me!"

"Katy… It's all three of us…" Sara spoke. "All of us are this… This.. thing…"

"We aren't just anything… We're… At least we look like…" Mia said.

"Don't say it. Don't you dare say it," Sara warned.

"We're mermaids…" Katy trailed off.

Not soon after, the three of them sat on Sara's bed, refusing to say any words. Sara looked from Mia to Katy, and the both of them just looked scared and glum. The normal confident Mia and the eccentric Katy seemed like total shells of their formal selves. It had been a rough night and morning, and it looked like it wouldn't be getting any easier from there.

"So now what?" Sara asked to the group, trying to come up with a solution, theory, anything.

"What do you mean?" Mia responded in turn.

"Like we gotta do something about this thing…" Sara said, "We gotta figure out what happened to us."

"Sara, we turned into mermaids. I don't think it's really that complicated," Katy stated.

"Don't use that word. It makes me feel… weird… But how? How did this all happened?" Sara asked to anyone who could answer.

"It has to be Mako Island!" Mia exclaimed.

"Careful!" Sara spoke up, "My parents are still asleep, and this is not something I want them to wake up to."

"Sorry," Mia said, more quietly this time, "But still, let's think about it. When we were in that pool in the cavern, when the moon was directly overhead, whatever the lights or the bubbles and everything were, that's what did this. That's why Zane didn't want us to go to Mako! It has to be."

"I seriously doubt that the reason Zane did not want us to go to Mako Island is because it would turn us into mermaids." Sara replied.

"No, you don't Zane as I do… About three and a half years ago, Zane started talking a lot about mermaids, something about how one saved his life. It got to the point where he began to lose friends, and he was almost considered crazy. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped. Never mentioned it again. It was odd." Mia explained.

"Ok, so he talked a lot about mermaids then he stopped. He probably just didn't want to talk about it anymore. What's your point?"

"Maybe he did what we did and got into that Moon… Pool.. with the moon directly overhead? And, what if he became a merman? And that's why he stopped talking about it." Mia theorized.

"Mia, we've both seen him fall into the harbor just a few weeks ago when he fell off his boat! He didn't get a tail then, so he can't be a merman," Katy spoke up.

Mia just shook her head.v"But, then why would he warn us about Mako Island if it has nothing to do with mermaids? Seems like a pretty big coincidence."

"It could be anything Mia! Even so, enough about Zane. What about us? What are we gonna do now? We can't just go to school on Monday like 'Hello. We're all mermaids now for some reason. No need to be alarmed'" Sara spoke up.

"We could go back in the ocean?" Katy suggested. "It seems like since we're mermaids, we should be good at swimming right?"

"I guess we should try it," Mia spoke up again, "If we're gonna be like this we might as well give it a shot." They both looked to Sara.

"Alright fine whatever. Let's just do it and get it over with."

"So… We're actually going to do this…" Sara trailed off. The three girls stood on a secluded beach, some miles from any prying eyes. They faced the ocean, the lazy waves lapping up the beach. The sun was still new in the sky, starting its climb upward. The hours were still early, especially for saturday. Sara had scribbled a quick note to her parents and left it on the kitchen counter about how she was going out early for a walk, hoping they wouldn't worry too much about her.

"We have to. We HAVE to find out what this thing and how it affects us," Mia replied.

"I mean, we are mermaids. That's what this thing is," Katy spoke up.

"Stop it. I hate that word," Sara snapped.

"Then what would you call it?" Mia asked. "We get in the water we grow a scaly tail. Seems to me like we're mermaids now." Sara didn't reply. She didn't have an answer for her. And so they continued staring at the ocean. A few moments later, Mia grabbed the hands of Sara and Katy. "Ready? Together?"

"I'm not ready, but I guess there's no point in turning back now," Sara responded. Katy nodded as well. _I will not be afraid of this._ Sara reassured herself, but still she found it slightly difficult. Despite the fear and uncertainty, the three of them began to step forward. Foot after foot, they entered the ocean until they were all shin deep. "About ten seconds?" Sara asked.

"More or less," the other two replied. It didn't take long. Simultaneously, the changing hit all three of them, tails sprouting where their legs were. Sara fell forward again, face-planting into the surf. She panicked for a quick second, before she remembered she could see and breathe underwater. She rolled onto her back, bringing her face above the water. She looked down, only to see the golden bronze tail again elongating from the base of her stomach, along with the same color top where her previous shirt had been. _Looks like it wasn't a one-time thing. This is gonna take some getting used to._

She looked over at Mia and Katy, who were both struggling as she was. They all locked eyes. Silence for a second. Then, Katy started laughing nervously. This led to Sara who started laughing as well until all three were roaring with laughter in the shallow water at almost how ridiculous this scenario was for them.

"So," Mia began when the laughing stop, "shall we actually try swim?" Sara gulped, but nodded her head. She wasn't ready to be back in the ocean, but she knew she needed to try. "Ok. Let's go!" Mia slowly and awkwardly began dragging herself into the deeper ocean. Sara giggled a bit on how odd she looked. But, she started doing the same, and soon all three girls propelled themselves into the deeper water, plunging beneath the surface.

Sara focused. She opened her eyes underwater, seeing clearly like before. She kicked her fin hard once. Twice. Three times, and she propelled through the water at a rocket pace, heading behind Mia and Katy. The three of them headed a little deeper, following the ocean floor. They rounded a rock face and Sara gasped underwater.

The sea was teeming with colorful schools of fish darting this way and that, going about the morning. Spiraling coral sprung up from different places on the sandy bottom. Arching rock formations sprouted all around. _This is so beautiful…_ Mia and Katy began swimming around a bit, big smiles on their faces. Sara rushed in, ready to join in the fun. She swam through a large rock opening only to surprise a group of fish, as they darted to either side around her. She looked over at Mia, floating on her back, kicking gently along. She noticed Sara looking at her, and waved at her. Sara waved back with a big smile on her face. _This is the best experience of my life…_

The whole walk back Sara could not stop talking. They had washed up on shore and dried themselves off, their legs coming back. Now, they were returning to Sara's house to discuss what had just happened. "Oh my god! I can't believe it! The ocean floor is really like that? It's beautiful! I never really thought about it before. What's next? I want to go farther! And Deeper! When's our next swim?" Sara spewed, her jaw hanging open.

"Relax Sara," Mia spoke to her. "Remember, we have to keep this quiet. Other people cannot know about this."

"I know I know. I'm sorry," She replied.

"Don't be sorry! That was awesome!" Katy chimed in. "But still, it is important that we keep a low profile."

Sara calmed down a bit. But her mind was still bubbly with nervous excitement. She couldn't believe what was happening to her! _Four days in Australia, and I turn into a mermaid. I'm not sure whether to feel cursed or blessed._ The rest of the walk went pretty quickly, as the three of them really wanted to discuss everything, but not in the broad daylight.

Soon, they were nearing Sara's house again. "Hey Sara," Mia got her attention, pointing across the street from her house. "I didn't see it this morning, but the house across the street from you is sold. You're getting new neighbors looks like. You won't be the new kid on the block anymore." She elbowed Sara. Sara looked up and sure enough, a sold sign stood proud in the front yard. She never noticed that before now. The first four days she had been so busy she never saw it.

"Yeah! And maybe it'll be some cute guy you'll fall in love with! And then you can take him to your magical mermaid kingdom!" Katy joked as well. Sara just rolled her eyes and continued walking, Katy and Mia almost falling over because they were laughing so hard. Sara just left them behind and continued toward her house. Katy and Mia soon caught up to her as soon as Sara got to her front door, and they all entered at the same time.

Her parents were in the kitchen eating breakfast when they arrived. They looked up at the arrival of Sara, Mia, and Katy and smiled. "Ah Sara! How was your walk this morning? And, I see you brought friends as well!"

"Yes! This is Mia and Katy." Mia and Katy waved when Sara said their names.

Karen began to get up. "Well if it isn't too.."

"It's ok Mom, we'll be in my room," Sara interrupted her, dragging Mia and Katy up to her room, leaving her mother hanging.

"Sorry about my mom," Sara apologized once they were safely in her room with the door locked. "She can be quite overloving at times."

"She seems nice," Katy reassured. "I don't see the problem."

"You don't know her like I do. I'm an only child from a small town. My mom had a history of smothering me with affection so to speak. And, she can be somewhat strict. But, that'll probably have to change now that we're here. I want to try and put some distance between me and her. I love her, but with this… mermaid thing… I just don't think I can be too close to her, at risk of revealing my secret. Our secret." Sara explained.

"This may go without saying. But we need to stay away from water at all times in front of other people, even small drops. Who knows how much it takes to change us? And this is huge. If word got out, we could end up as super celebrities with no privacy at best. Worst case scenario, we get imprisoned or dissected in the name of science." Mia chimed in.

"Damn. That's too right," Sara responded. "So from here on out, we have each other's backs no matter. Ok? No excuses. No exceptions. It's us against the world from now onward."

Sara put her hand in the center. "Now who's with me?"

"I'm in." Mia first.

"Me too!" Katy as well.

"Ok Team Mako, let's do it." Sara spoke.

For the next week, it was a bit tough getting used to everything, especially at school. Monday was anxiety inducing for Sara, as she wasn't sure if or when any water might get splashed on her. She made a mental note of any janitorial closet, bathroom, or empty room she could run too if she ever got wet. _I can't let anything happen to me._ She said to herself over and over again.

After that, it got slightly better. She understood better on how to avoid water all the time. She got a close call at home once, as her father accidentally spilled on her at the dinner table, but she made it to her room just in time as the tail formed. _I'll have to be more careful_.

She swam every chance she got, starting with both Mia and Katy, until she got more comfortable in the ocean, and she started going alone, even getting up early to go for morning swims. It was a joyous time for Sara.

One week after the boat trip, Sara was walking home from school on the friday. Katy was going to dinner with her parents (promising to be careful around the water) and Mia had to stay behind to talk to a teacher. So, it was Sara leaving the school alone that day. She didn't mind, all three of them hung out almost every minute they could, so Sara was slightly happy for a bit of space.

She turned the corner onto her street to see a large moving truck in the driveway of the sold house opposite hers. _Huh. They're finally moving out. I wonder when the next family will move in._ She just approached her house when her father came out of the front door. He smiled when he saw her. "Ah good! You're here! Come on. We're gonna help the neighbors move stuff into their truck." He said.

"Ahhh… Dad… Do I have to?" Sara pleaded.

"Sorry kiddo. You've been hanging out with your new friends all the time since you got here, and I haven't seen much of you. Let's have some father daughter time and do some good work in the process."

Sara just rolled her eyes. "Alright fine," she relented. She dropped her bag in the living room, then followed her father across the street to the neighbors.

The lady was grabbing a box called "Pictures" when the two of them approached. "Oh Paul glad you made it! Thank you so much for agreeing to help!" she exclaimed, setting the box down gently. She turned to Sara. "Oh you must be Sara!" She shook Sara's hand. "I've heard so much about you. I'm Peggy." She seemed cheery and bubbly. Sara liked her. She was almost sad that Peggy and her family were leaving.

She began to help her father move boxes too and from Peggy's living room into the back of the truck. Soon, Sara built up a decent workout. They stopped after an hour for a rest. Her father grabbed a bottle of water from a cooler by the garage. "Here!" he tossed it to Sara.

Sara was about to catch it when she saw the wet condensation on the surface. In a quick reaction, she twisted her hand swatting the bottle as it bounced to the ground, rolling back toward Paul. She quickly dried her hand on a towel nearby. "What was that?" he asked in surprise.

Sara just shrugged. "Butterfingers I guess."

"Sara, I've seen you catch a perfect spiral when you were ten." her father countered.

"I'm sorry I'm not perfect. And, I haven't played football in years," Sara fired back.

Her father shrugged as well and picked up the water, drinking it himself. Just then, Peggy burst out of the living room. "The new owners are moving in on Sunday I believe. It's a father and son. I'm pretty sure the son is your age Sara. Sixteen? Yeah that's about right. His name is Farley Davis. I met him a few times. You'll like him. He's a good kid."

"We'll have to see," Sara replied, half caring. But still, as she went about the day, she couldn't help thinking about this Farley Davis boy. _Huh. Maybe Katy was right. It could be a cute boy for me to take to my magical mermaid kingdom._ Sara joked to herself. She would just wait to meet him. Who knows? He could be a great guy.


	4. Chapter 4: Farley Davis

**Shorter chapter today unfortunately. But don't worry, I'll be back with more chapters as soon as I can. I'm already writing chapter 15 as I release this, so I hope to get awesome stories your way soon. Make sure to review if you liked it or have any questions:)**

 **Chapter 4: Farley Davis**

Farley Davis' alarm clock rang loudly in his ear. He slammed it down. The clock flipped backward, falling back off of his night stand. _Sunday._ He thought to himself. _Today's the day. The big move. We're leaving Brisbane, all my friends, and what I've known my whole life only to move to Gold Coast. Lucky me._ He rolled out of his mattress on the floor and onto the ground. His bed had previously been packed and sent over by the movers the previous night, as most everything had already. He only had a few more items to pack, and then it was off to his new life in Gold Coast.

He trudged down his steps one last time to see his father, Richard Davis, making coffee in the kitchen. "Morning Farley! How's it going today?" Richard asked. Farley just groaned in response. His father put a hand on Farley's shoulder. "Look Farley, I know it's been a tough year. With your mother and I's divorce, and now moving away from Brisbane. But I think a change of scenery will do us both good.

"I suppose so Dad. It's just hard to move away, even if it's only down the coast." Farley replied.

"It'll be great Farley! And, we'll be almost right on the ocean as well. It's just a few minutes walk to the beach for us from our new house. Won't that be fun?"

"If you say so." Was the only response. Farley wanted to be nice to his father. Sure, Farley hated the move. But, it was good to see his father seem happy one of the few times since the divorce. "I think it'll be fun." he added as well. His father smiled, and Farley knew that he had to do this for him.

The movers came and took the rest of the stuff out during the morning, loading it into the last truck for them to move away to Gold Coast. As the last of the belongings were moved. Farley took one last tour through his soon to be old house. It was eerie almost, seeing the rooms completely empty. Places where old furniture had been were now barren spaces. He had so many memories from this house, and it was going to be the last moments he would see of this place. Farey stepped outside, staring for the last time at his house. And then he left.

Traffic wasn't bad on the way there. Within a few hours, they had arrived in their neighborhood. They came down a row of houses near the ocean. Farley looked left, catching a glimpse of the glimmering sea on the way. They went halfway down the street, before the truck backed up into the driveway of their new house. Farley's father stopped the car along the street and they both got out.

It was a nice single story house. One of the more plain houses on the block, but it looked really nice to Farley. _Maybe I could get used to this_. Farley stepped up into the driveway, sitting for a moment on the back bumper of the moving truck. He surveyed the rest of his neighborhood. It seemed calm yet exquisite. Each house seemed unique in its own way. He could almost see the ocean behind some of the houses, but it was still hidden from view.

Suddenly, in the house directly across the street, the front door flung open. This slightly tall girl with long blond hair walked out, smiling. Farley was intrigued. She was attractive and seemed quite energetic. She looked up and noticed him staring at her. Farley froze. He raised his hand awkwardly and waved at her. She smiled again, waving back. Then, she went on her way.

 _Who is she I wonder? She's cute! I'll have to find out._ "Ah you saw that neighbor girl I see," his father interrupted his thoughts. "From what I hear she's from the States. So, see if you can try to get yourself a nice American girl." His father elbowed him in the side, chuckling to himself, heading inside. _Maybe I should introduce myself sometime._

He sat there for a moment, watching the girl walk into the distance and disappear around the bend. "Farley? Can you come here for a moment?" His father called through the house. Farley shook his head, bringing himself back to alertness. He stood up from the bumper of the moving truck. He went through the house to where his father was while the movers began taking the items into the house.

Farley found his father out back of the house, hanging out at the small dock at their house, leading to a canal that ran behind their house and worked it's way to the sea. Behind his father, he saw a glimpse of metal sitting in the water. _Could that be…_ His father moved away, revealing a small motorboat sitting in the water, attached to the dock. "Surprise!" his father beamed.

"You got me a boat?" Farley asked, flabbergasted.

"Our boat you mean. But, you'll be the primary user I believe." his father winked. Farley gave his father a big hug.

"Thank you Dad," Farley said feeling better about the move now.

"Don't worry about it. I thought you deserved a house warming present for having to move away from your friends and childhood home." his dad replied. "Now go on! Try it out! Just don't be out for too long!"

Farley jumped into the boat, unhitching it from the dock and pushing off. He roared the engine, pulling away from his house as his father waved. He loved the feeling of freedom he felt from owning the boat. He rode down the canal, turning right toward the ocean. He rounded a few more bends, almost getting lost among the canals, until he emptied out into a small harbor area. _This looks like an interesting spot._ He pulled up into an empty dock space, cutting the engine, and tying down his boat. He jumped off onto the dock.

Farley was beginning to climb up from the dock onto dry ground when he saw from a distance the American girl he saw earlier exit a smaller building with two other girls, each with a juice in their hands. They turned away from him and walked down toward the other end of the harbor. _Huh, there she is again._ He climbed up on top of the dry land and started toward the building she had come out of.

"Rikki's Cafe," he read aloud the sign above the door as he approached. "Sounds cute I guess." He entered.

The cafe was quaint inside. With vibrant colors, multiple booths, and stage, it seemed like the perfect hangout for any group. A waitress was handing out a few drinks at a table, while an older teenager with brown hair hung behind the counter, wiping it down. He looked up and around, admiring the interior. Farley approached the counter and the brown haired man looked up. "What can I get ya?" he asked.

"Uhhhh…" Farley thought, "Can I get a mango juice please?"

"Sure thing," the worker said and went about his business. "You know, you seem new here. I recognize most of the customers that come through this cafe having been in business for a few years. Also, not to be a bit forward, but you do look pretty lost."

"Yeah, I just moved here from Brisbane."

"Huh. You're actually the second person to move here recently. Somewhat surprising. Not as many new people move here."

"Really? Who's the other one?"

"Eh. Some American girl I've seen now and again. Mostly because she and my cousin have become almost inseparable best friends. So we've met a few times."

"An American girl? I think I just moved in across the street from her. I just saw her leave this place a minute ago."

"Yeah, that's her. She was with my cousin Mia and their other friend Katy. The American girl's name is Sara, just so you know. Actually, she might've mentioned you."

"Really?" Now Farley was intrigued.

"Yeah, Sara mentioned something about a new bloke moving in across the street. You look like who she described. Then they mentioned something about a magic kingdom I think? I wasn't really paying attention. Must've been an inside joke."

"Huh. I just happened to see her earlier today. Waved to her from my driveway. Glad I made an impression I suppose." Farley smiled.

The worker smirked. "You like that American girl don't you." Farley stood up straight and relaxed his face, he shook his head. "Oh yes you do. You just don't want to admit it yet."

"I mean…" Farley began.

"Ah, don't worry about it. But hey, she is best friends with my cousin, so if you need me to put a good word in for you, I'm the right bloke for you. By the way, my name's Zane Bennett." Zane extended a hand across the counter.

Farley shook it. "I'm Farley Davis." Zane handed Farley's completed juice across the counter finished.

"Here you go Farley. And remember, I can help you out if you want to get that American girl." Zane winked.

"I'll keep that in mind," Farley replied over his back as he exited the Cafe and toward his boat.

That night as Farley lay in bed in his new house, he wondered if things might actually work out in his new home. He wondered the same thing the next morning as he stood outside the gates to his school. He breathed a few times in and out, trying to steady himself. He re-shouldered his bag, and he entered his new school for the first time, ready for anything.


	5. Chapter 5: Friends United

**Chapter 5: Friends United**

Sara stood outside the school on that same Monday, signaling the new week. She stood side-by-side with Mia and Katy ready to take on the day. She couldn't believe she had been a mermaid now for over a week. It was too surreal for her. They all three smiled at each other, then they entered the school grounds together, best friends united.

The redneck girl whispers weren't as frequent as the first day, but they still kept coming. Even, sitting next to Marian in first period wasn't as bad, remarkably so. Sure, she would make an off-handed comment every now and again, but it was nothing Sara couldn't handle. She had developed a thick skin. She hated bullies with her entire being and had dealt with them before in middle school. But, she fought back, and she had become better because of it.

When second period started, things got more interesting. It was Geography. Even though Sara was never great with it, the class wasn't too difficult for her. Then, at the very start of class, in came the principal with a familiar face. "Class, we have a new student with us today. This is Farley Davis who just moved here from Brisbane. I hope you all will accept him as your new classmate," she spoke. Farley waved nervously. Sara noticed him up close this time. She remembered him from seeing moving in across the street, but that was much farther away.

He was mostly average looking, with smooth brown hair combed over. He looked slightly nerdy, except he was dressed nice and didn't have glasses, making him seem not a stereotype. Sara had to admit, he had a nice smile, even if it was a nervous smile like then. He took a seat three desks left from Sara. The principal left and the geography teacher continued.

"Now class, there are close to two hundred countries recognized by the United Nations, and it's impossible for me to go over all of them with you unfortunately," he began. "So, I'm giving you all a project. I'm going to put you into partners, and each pair will work for two months researching one country. You will then give a fifty minute presentation in front of the class talking about everything from your country's flag, to its demographics, borders, regions, government, history, and any interesting facts."

The whole class let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Sara was especially disconcerted. Just over a week here and she already had to do a large project. She glanced over at Farley. _At least I've been here for a bit. This is his first day and he gets this project slapped in his face._ She chuckled slightly.

It got stranger when the assignment with her name on it was placed on her desk by the teacher. On the top in clear letters it stated:

Sara Meyer and Farley Davis

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Below it were more guidelines for the assignment as well as a rubric for grading. _I'm given my home country. But that almost seems too easy for me. And why am I with Farley?_ She looked over at Farley who received his paper as well and saw they were working together. He fixed his eyes toward her, and they made eye contact. Farley made a sheepish grin and shrugged. Sara just half-smiled before turning back to her paper.

When class was over, she walked up to her teacher to ask him about the project. "Mr. Thompson, I was wondering about my project. I was wondering why I have the US? Considering I'm from there and everything."

Mr. Thompson removed his reading glasses and looked up at Sara from his desk. "A lot of my students already know a lot about the United States. Your country is decently well known here in Australia. Even so, as you are from there, I want you to talk about what living in the States is actually like, as well as things we may not know about what it truly is like in the US, not just what the students see on TV and movies." He explained. "It should be a learning experience for everyone, hearing from an actual American citizen."

"Oh ok, but why am I with Farley? We're both the newest students. It seems unfair to put us two together."

"Yet that was my point in a way. It will provide a nice challenge for the both of you. And since you are from the States as well, it should be easier for you then. I didn't want to make this project too impossible." Sara stepped back. This project seemed almost easy to her. All she had to do was talk about home for an hour. She just had to do it with Farley as well.

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly, ending up with lunch. She sat in the same spot by the tree that she sat the first day. Blake never really came around again, so she usually had the time to herself. She didn't mind entirely. She wished she could eat with Mia and Katy, but she knew as soon as school was over they would all go for a swim, so she didn't care too much.

She was looking at her phone, reading a bit on facebook when I shadow came over her. She looked up. Standing over her was Farley, hands in his pockets. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"You're...Sara right?" he stuttered before steadying his nerve. "I thought I should fully introduce myself, considering we're neighbors and now projects on this geography partner… I mean I mean partners on this geography project." Farley smiled nervously. "I'm Farley."

"It's good to fully meet you Farley," Sara said, motioning for him to join him on the bench. Farley sat down quickly.

"S-so, where in the States are you from?" he asked.

"Gibbon, Nebraska. And, I know next you're gonna ask 'where is that?' or say 'I've never heard of it before.' Before you ask, it's basically in the middle of nowhere." Sara replied almost sarcastically. "The amount of times people have said that is quite annoying."

"Actually, I was gonna ask if Australia is warming up to you," Farley spoke. This caught Sara off guard.

"I… well yes so far. But, I've only been here for less than two weeks. I'll decide in time whether if it is good or not. But right now, it does seem like it was a great choice to come here. Many interesting things have happened." Sara replied, almost opening herself up. "But what about you? You're new here too."

"Yes in Gold Coast I suppose. But I'm from Brisbane. It's not too far north of here. Yet still, it's too far to keep all my old friends from there."

"You'll meet new friends Farley. Don't worry. My first day here in Gold Coast I was worried as well about making friends, but that exact day I met these girls Mia and Katy. And now we're almost best friends. It'll get better." She smiled at him.

The bell rang, announcing lunch was ending. It was time to return to class. "Well it was nice to meet you Farley. See you later," Sara announced, getting up and walking away, leaving Farley sitting down at the tree. _He's slightly awkward._ Sara thought to himself. _But, he's almost cute when he's awkward._ Sara chuckled to herself and continued toward class.

Farley watched as Sara disappeared into the crowd of people, admiring her as she left him. When she was out of sight, he leaned over and sighed, easing away the nervousness. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._ He mentally hit himself. _We're projects for this partner? What in the hell was I thinking? God she probably thinks I'm awkward as hell. God damn it why am I being like this..._

Farley just shook it off and went off to his next class. He met the principal outside the classroom just as every other period that morning, and she lead him into class. Off she went, introducing him in front of the class. He felt awkward doing it over and over again, with all eyes staring at him. He gave a short wave, before he was given his desk.

The teacher returned to the lesson at hand. The class was chemistry, one of Farley's favorite subjects. The notes came easy to him, and he rarely had a question pop into his mind. _I wish most of these classes were easy like this._ He chuckled to himself. Must other classes he hated, but at least with chemistry he actually had some enjoyment out of it.

With twenty minutes left in class, the teacher stopped teaching. "Ok class, I'm going to hand out this assignment for you to work on for the rest of class. It's due tomorrow, and I expect most of you won't be able to finish it before class gets out, but I'm giving you some time to work on it anyway to get a head start." She spoke, handing out the packets.

The answers came easy to Farley as he went through the questions. Most of them weren't too tough, and with only five minutes until the class ended, he finished the last problem, turning his paper over and laying down his pencil. _Maybe I can be a nerd sometimes._ He chuckled to himself, allowing a slight smile.

He looked to his left. A student with almost perfect blond hair was gaping at his paper being finished so quickly. He looked up at Farley. "You done?" he mouthed to Farley. Farley only just shrugged and nodded his head. The other student just scratched his head and went back to working on his own packet, a scowl deepening in his face.

The bell rang, and Farley put all his items into his bag. He planned on turning in his assignment tomorrow with the rest of class. He didn't want to seem too much like a teacher's pet by already turning in his paper that day. He quickly filed out of class. He had not gone ten steps from the door when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back to see the blond student that had sat next to him. "Hey you're Farley, the new kid, right? How'd you finish that assignment so fast? I just can't seem to figure it out."

"I'm just good at chemistry," Farley replied. "I'm not sure why but it's the one subject I can actually do really well at."

"I have a question for you. I'm not that great in chemistry, and I was wondering if you could… help tutor me in this class."

"I don't know… Don't you have other friends who could help you?"

"Well... Most of my real friends are on the Rugby team, and not to be mean, but most of them are dumb as rocks. But in all seriousness, Farley I could really use your help."

"Alright I guess I can tutor you. I need to meet new people anyway. I'd be happy to help you out with chemistry."

"Excellent! You won't regret this. By the way, my name is Blake Everton. It's good to meet you Farley, especially if you can gift me with some of your knowledge on chemistry."

"Good to meet you as well," Farley said as they shook hands. They exchanged phone numbers.

"Great! Catch you later!" And Blake disappeared into a crowd of students. Farley managed a smile. He had heard a little about Blake as the day had gone on. He had heard how popular he was and how cool he was. He was proud to be able to tutor him. Maybe they could end up being friends… _Like the most popular guy in school would end up being friends with me._ Farley could only hope, before hurrying to his next class.

When the school day was over, Sara, Mia, and Katy walked out of their last class, ready to be done with the day. They were all tired and ready to decompress with a nice swim. "So, I heard you met your new neighbor," Mia mentioned. "How is he?"

"He seems ok so far. Slightly awkward at times, but almost a cute awkward. But, he seems genuine I think," Sara replied.

"Ready to take him back to your magical Mermaid kingdom yet?" Katy joked again.

"If you mention magical Mermaid Kingdom again, I'm going to splash water on you in front of the whole school," Sara warned playfully.

"You wouldn't dare! I'd take you down with me then," Katy shot back.

"Both of you are ridiculous," Mia chuckled. They all three laughed together. "Hey before we go swimming let's grab a juice. I'm pretty thirsty." The three of them agreed, and they headed to Rikki's Cafe.

Zane was there working the counter when the three of them walked in. He smirked when he saw them, so Sara knew he would make a stupid comment when he opened his mouth. She was right. "Look who it is! It's my cousin, the American, and the ginger." He joked.

Mia placed her hands on the counter next to a leafy plant decor sitting in a glass vase full of water. "Damn it Zane, do you always have to be a smart arse whenever me and my friends come in?"

"Pretty much yeah." He smirked again.

Mia's anger bubbled over. "Zane you're three years older than us! Why do you have to be so immature all the time! You're a business owner yet you still act like you're twelve! What is…" Sara tuned out the rest of Mia's rant. She didn't want to get in the way of their family arguing. She lazily looked over at the plant near Mia's clenching fist, only to see the water in the glass starting to bubble, and then boil.

Sara was taken aback. How could it be doing that? It was as if… _My god, it's coming from Mia!_ She immediately grabbed Mia and pulled her back. "Come on Mia, we'll go somewhere else." She spoke quickly, yanking her away from Zane out of the Cafe with a confused Katy in tow. Zane was surprised at his cousin's outburst and sudden departure.

He looked curiously up at the plant only to be surprised when steam was drifting up out of it. He touched the glass, only to yank it back in surprise when he felt it hot. He pondered for a moment on the bizarre reaction. "But how…" He began, "Nah couldn't be… But that would mean that…" Zane was puzzled. The answer he came up with couldn't be true, but nothing else made sense. "I gotta get to the bottom of this."

"What the hell are you doing?" Mia asked angrily when Sara pulled her outside.

Sara looked her dead in the eyes. "Mia. That water vase on the counter. You made it boil when you got angry at Zane. You have some kind of special powers."

"What? That's impossible!" Mia resisted.

"Mia, we're mermaids and you want to argue about what's impossible?" Katy chimed in.

"We need to test this out," Sara concluded.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them sat on Sara's bed, staring at a glass of water on Sara's dresser. "Ok Mia, try to do what you did at the cafe." Sara spoke.

"But I don't even know what I did!" Mia retorted.

"Please, Mia. Just try," Katy reassured her.

"Remember your anger at Zane, and how you felt when he was making jokes about us. Then use that emotion," Sara suggested.

Mia gulped. She held out her hand toward the glass, feeling the water inside it. She slowly clenched her hand, and the water began to bubble at first, followed by a rapid boil. Mia yelped back in surprise, releasing the magic, and the water went back to normal.

"The hell was that!?" Mia exclaimed, "That was awesome!" Mia clenched her hand again, and the water began heavily boiling again, steam billowing off the top of it.

"Ok stop," Sara said, grabbing Mia's outstretched hand, and the boiling ceased. "Let Katy and I see if we have powers as well." Mia nodded, setting down her hand. Sara nodded at Katy. "You're up. Let's see what you can do."

"Ok. Ok. Ok I can do this," Katy spoke, slightly unsure of herself. She thrust out her hand, focusing into the water. Instantly, the water froze solid. "D-did I do that?" Katy asked, trying to contain her brimming excitement.

"I didn't do anything…" Sara replied. Mia nodded in agreement.

Katy had a smile from ear to ear. "Oh my god! I can freeze stuff!" She exclaimed. Sara shushed her immediately. "Sorry," Katy whispered, still with a giant smile on her face.

"Ok… My turn," Sara spoke. She focused her mind, putting all her attention onto the frozen water in the glass. It was her chance to see what powers she had. She thrust out her hand, ready for anything!

Nothing happened.

Nothing. The water didn't budge. A trickle of condensation slid off the glass onto the wood, but other than that, nothing. _What? What's going on? Why did nothing happen?_ She focused energy and thrust her hand again.

Nothing.

Frustrated, Sara threw out her hand again and again, but the ice only slowly melted due to the heat of the room. For almost fifteen minutes, Sara tried anything she could. Mia and Katy could only watch helpless as Sara struggled to do anything to the water.

After that time, Sara suddenly cried out in frustration. In a huff, she tore out of her room, down the stairs and out the door. Mia and Katy followed close behind. Sara didn't care, she just wanted to get out of there. Why couldn't she do it? Why did she feel so powerless? She happened to see Farley coming home on the other side of the road. He waved slightly at her, but she couldn't be bothered. She was too embittered that she had no powers, while Mia and Katy had awesome tricks they could do with water.

Mia and Katy caught up to her as Sara stood on a bridge overlooking one of the canals, visibly distraught. One tear fell to the ground before Sara could stop it, but she wiped her eyes to stop others from forming. "I'm sorry I left like that," Sara said when she saw Mia and Katy come up to her.

"I would've done the same to be honest," Mia reassured her. "Look, we are like sisters to you, and we will not rest until you find your powers. Ok?"

Sara nodded slowly. "Ok," she replied. The three of them came together in a big hug around her. Sara felt slightly better knowing that Mia and Katy were with her. But, as she stared out over the canal, uncertainty gripped her. She just had to find out what power she had.

 **Awesome things are under way! If you have any questions, comments, predictions, etc. make sure to send a review! I respond to each and every one of them.**


	6. Chapter 6: Honest to God Mermaid

**Chapter 6: Honest to God Mermaid**

Two days.

Two days had gone by, and nothing. Sara tried everything to find out her powers, but to no avail. It angered and frustrated her to no ends. And over those two days she felt more stressed than ever. Sure, she hung out with Mia and Katy most of the time, but she almost felt left out as the two of them had powers and she didn't. It began to eat at her.

On the third day since, she didn't walk to school with Mia and Katy. She felt defeated, unsure, and deflated. She barely put on a spattering of makeup in the morning before heading off to class. She didn't care at the moment. She was powerless, literally and figuratively. She didn't want to use the word depression, but she was definitely in a slump. The first half of the day went about as expected, boring classes and some snickers of "Redneck Girl" as she went about the school She didn't care. Their words compared nothing to her feelings of powerlessness.

At lunch, she sat in the same corner as usual under the tree, looking down toward the ground, barely touching her food. And, again, Farley approached. He was nice, and she didn't have any other friends she knew in her lunch period, so she had allowed it. But that day, her temperament was not at the level to deal with anyone. "Hey, Sara!" He called when he got up to her. She didn't respond, just kept looking down at the ground. He sat next to her. "How's it going?"

"Fine." was the response she gave.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"Everything is fine Farley," Sara stated flatly.

"I just, wanted to make sure you were ok," Farley gestured.

She broke. She turned to Farley with fury in her eyes. "Look Farley, I'm a bit stressed right now. So I would appreciate some alone time ok? Talk to me a different day. Just not now." She burst out in anger and frustration.

Farley stood rather quickly. Why would Sara respond to him so angrily? He had not a clue. He backed away, watching Sara. He turned and headed to a different area of the grounds to eat lunch. He found another empty bench under a different tree on the other side, slowly sitting down and he began eating. He still didn't have friends to eat with.

Then, a large shadow interrupted his view. He looked up. Above him was a towering man in smooth black hair smirking down at him. "Can I help you?" Farley asked, his nerve quivering.

"You're the new kid. Farley right?" the bloke inquired.

"That's me…" Farley responded cautiously.

The guy chuckled. "Ok new kid. I know you don't have many friends here already, which breaks my poor poor heart." He placed his hand over his chest in a joking manner. "I'm gonna make a deal with you.."

"Oh, and what might that be?" Farley was trying to act overly confident, but he found it becoming difficult.

"It's a dare. Successfully complete it, and you'll have my respect and you'll get more popular around here. Important for a bloke like you who might be lonely."

"And if I refuse?"

"I make your life miserable," the man smirked again, staring daggers through Farley

Farley's heart was beating rapidly. "Ok fine, so what's the dare?"

"You gotta go to Mako Island. Take a picture of the volcano there. Oh yeah, and make sure your face is in the shot. Don't want you using google to find a picture of the volcano. You got it?" the man sneered.

Farley gulped. He didn't have much of a choice. "Ok. Ok. Fine. I'll get it done. I will show you the picture tomorrow."

The bloke patted the top of Farley's head. "Good boy. My name is Mitch by the way. Look for me tomorrow. I'll be waiting!" And then, he was gone.

Farley began hyperventilating. He took a minute to catch his breath. Mitch was extremely intimidating and powerful. Farley didn't have a choice but to go to Mako Island. All throughout his next classes, he wasn't doing any work. He was sneaking looks at his phone as he was researching everything about Mako Island. _Sharks? Strange Lights? A comet? Severe Storms? No wonder Mako seems so scary. Not like I have a choice. Either hell at school or I go to this island._ He made up his mind. He would visit right after school. It would give him enough time to go there, take the picture, and return in time for his first study session with Blake at 7 pm. He began to make a plan.

Class ended, and Sara was eager to leave. Another day of hell over. She was silent walking back through the school grounds towards the exit. Mia and Katy chatted on either side of her. Neither of them had a care in the world. It just made her angry. She didn't say a word to either of them all the way back to her house.

When the three of them arrived at Sara's house, she threw her bag into the living and shut the door, heading away immediately. Surprised, Mia and Katy stayed apace with her going the other way. "Sara? What's going on?" Katy asked surprised.

"I'm going for a swim right now." She stated.

"Well... we'll come with you," Mia responded. "It's been a few days, and I mean…"

Sara swung around sharply, stopping Mia and Katy in their tracks. "No. No. No. I just can't right now. Mia. Katy. You two are my sisters, but this power thing has really been bothering me for the past few days. I just… I need to have some alone time ok? I'll get back to you later."

Mia and Katy slowly nodded in agreement, and the three of them hugged. Sara started off in the other direction, leaving Mia and Katy in the dust, almost stunned.

Farley noticed Sara take off away from Mia and Katy as he was on his way home. He pondered to himself, but he shook it off. He didn't really want to get too interested in their friendship. He went into his house, only to grab a few things. His father wasn't home of course as he was at work. Farley scribbled a note that he'd be gone and he was gonna take the boat. He dropped off his bag and prepared himself for the trip. He pushed the boat away from the docks, gunning the motor and heading off down the canal. He didn't know what he'd find at this Mako Island, but that wasn't going to stop him.

Sara was far out to sea. Farther than she had ever gone before. She had usually stayed near the coast. To her, it was safer that way. She didn't know what the deep water held in store. Now, it didn't matter to her. She needed to vent the anger. _Why is this so difficult? Why can't I find my power?_ She drifted for a while, not knowing what to do or where to go. It was some twenty minutes later that she felt the need to take a breath. She quickly surfaced before diving beneath the waves again.

She continued drifting, closing her eyes. Here, she felt peaceful. Whether or not she got her power, in that moment, it almost felt like it didn't matter. She felt a mental pull, like their was somewhere she needed to go. She felt it calling to her, beckoning, almost irresistible. With a newfound excitement, she swam at incredible speed to where it was pulling her. Curious a minute later, she pulled her head above water to see a familiar peak in the distance. _Is that Mako Island? Something is calling me back there. It's almost like… I feel like I'm going home…_ Sara was more determined than ever. She was going to find out what was waiting for her at Mako Island.

At Mako Island, Farley had disembarked from his boat onto the beach. He looked up at the jungle in front of him. Fearing danger, he entered in, ready for anything. The way through the jungle was relatively easy. He followed a path that appeared to have been used some days prior. Footprints, although worn now, were somewhat visible as he followed them through the trees. _Who would be on Mako Island if it's so dangerous?_ He pondered. The path he followed through the jungle emptied out at a stream. He looked up and left to see a large rock outcropping in the middle of the stream. _I bet I could get a good picture if I got up there._ He slowly climbed a path up the side of the stream until I got on the same elevation as the outcropping.

He jumped across onto the rocks. He gasped as he looked out over the stream. He got a clear view of the ocean from above, gazing over the tops of the trees. He instinctively pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of photos of the amazing view. He moved toward the center of the rock, looking behind him to see the volcano clearly in view above him. Farley moved a bit, trying to get the best possible selfie of himself with the volcano to show Mitch.

He didn't see the crevasse. The second he hit the picture button, Farley lost his balance, falling into the hole, his phone tumbling behind him. "AAAHHHH!" he screamed as he fell into darkness. He slid for a bit before falling into some kind of cavern under the ground. _Where the hell am I?_ He thought as he picked up his phone thankfully undamaged and placed it into his pocket.

He followed the path through the cave. It was dark, but a glow was coming from one end of it, so he followed. He climbed up some rocky steps to overlook a room with a sandy floor. Pushed against one side was a large pool, almost four meters across. _This is beautiful_. He thought quietly.

Farley noticed a ripple under the surface. He gasped, throwing his hand to his mouth to stifle it, when none other than Sara emerged from the center of the pool seemingly out of nowhere. He stepped back, not wanting to be seen, only peeking an eye around the corner. Farley looked on in shock as Sara pulled herself out of the water, a golden orange fin attached where her legs should be, glistening in the sunlight from the crater above. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. _What is that? What is she? Is she… a…_ Farley couldn't finish the thought

Sara had found an underwater cave outside of Mako Island. She entered it, finding herself in the Moon Pool. _It's the same underwater cave we used to escape last time!_ She pulled herself out of it and onto the bank, twisting so she sat down on the edge, her tail dangling in the water. _I have to find out my power._ She thought to herself. For some reason, this cave and this pool made her feel oddly peaceful. She loved being here again, this time not as scared as when she became a mermaid over a week ago. _I should bring the girls back here sometime._

Sara focused on the water of the pool. She had some control of water, she just knew it. She just had to figure out exactly what it was. She focused on the water. Felt its power and magnificence within her. When she was ready, she slowly raised a hand.

A small sphere of water the size of a softball rose slowly out of the pool. Sara gasped in excitement, raising the sphere higher and higher. She pulled out her other hand and raised it. This time, a tentacle of water rose out of the pool, snaking around as it rose into the air above her. Sara cheered in excitement, and the two water objects splashed harmlessly back to the pool's surface. Without another word, Sara dove into the water, racing out of the pool and towards the mainland. _I have to tell Mia and Katy!_ And, she increased her speed.

Farley had seen it all. Not only did Sara show up in a tail, but she did some kind of magical telekinesis with the water. He sat against the wall of the cavern, trying to figure out if what he saw was real. He shook his head multiple times, but he couldn't get away the truth. Sara was a mermaid. She was a true, honest to god mermaid. And, Farley thought she looked more beautiful than ever.

He had been there stunned by how pretty, serene, and beautiful Sara was as she lay there in the pool, even as a mermaid. He had been interested in her before, but now he had a full blown crush on her. He had to have a chance to date her. A million questions raced through his mind. He had to get to the bottom of it.When his breathing had returned to normal and he relaxed a minute, he pulled himself up. _Ok. I need to find out more about her._

Some time later, Farley raced up to Blake's house with bag in hand, just in time for their study session. He had dropped off the boat and picked up his bag from his house, barely enough to tell his dad where he was going, and then he was off toward Blake's house. Sara was still much in his mind, but he had to act as normal as he could.

He got there just in time. Blake's cheery mother let Farley in, pointing to Blake's room. Farley burst in to see Blake sitting at his desk staring at the assignment in front of him, an empty chair sitting next to him. He smiled when he saw Farley enter. "Hey Farley you made it!" Blake stood up and shook Farley's hand. "Please have a seat." He gestured toward the empty seat and Farley promptly took it. "Ok so I've been looking at the homework and I think…"

"Actually Blake can I say something really quick," Farley interrupted.

"Don't tell me you're backing out. Look man I need help in chemistry or my grades will suffer. It's my worst class and as much as I hate to say, I really need your help."

"No no no. It's not that," Farley replied.

"Ok good. Now you have me intrigued. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I've come up with a quid pro quo of sorts."

"Quid pro quo? Isn't that latin?" Blake asked.

"Yes. It means 'something for something'. Sometimes involved in government corruption and bribery, but it also works just as fine here. Like, the something I give you is the tutoring for chemistry."

"And then you have a 'something' for me to give to you in exchange?" Blake looked skeptical.

"Precisely. I'll be honest. I really need your help with something important Blake. I see you getting a lot of attention from girls all over the school."

"It took me some years to get to that point. I don't think I can be totally a help to you on that front without a lot of work and a long time."

"Actually, I just need your help getting attention from one girl in particular. I have a huge crush on her. I really want to date her, but I don't think in my current situation I would be very successful."

"Who's the lucky lady?"

"Sara Meyer. The American Girl."

"Her? That's a decent challenge. She seems cute, but she's a bit of an odd character."

"I want to go after her though, Blake. Whatever workouts I need to do to be more brawny, whatever practice I need to do to get more confident, I want to do it."

"Are you sure you want to do it?" Blake asked. "She has a very tight relationship with her friends Mia and Katy. It'd be very difficult to get a shot. Are you entirely sure about this? This is what you want?"

"Yes. It has to be her. And if I fail, well then I'd be a lot more confident to go after someone else. So, it wouldn't be a complete loss," Farley responded.

Blake seemed to ponder for a moment. "Ok Farley, you have yourself a deal. Since you're so interested in this. Meet me on the beach at 6am tomorrow, and we can start."

"So early?"

"You wanted this right? This is what it will be."

"Whatever I need to do," Farley affirmed.

"Excellent! Now let's get back to chemistry."

Sara rushed back home as soon as she could from Mako Island. She had to tell Mia and Katy about it as soon as possible. She found a nice place right near her dock and hidden from view to dry off. It took some minutes, but as soon as she was dry, she texted them both "My house. Now. URGENT!" hoping they would come soon.

It took less than five minutes, and Mia and Katy stood at her door, breathless. "What… is it…?" Mia asked between breaths.

"Come and see!" Sara exclaimed as she dragged her two friends up to her room. The water glass was back on the desk, and Mia and Katy questioned why it was there. As soon as they were all seated on Sara's bed, she began. "Watch this."

Sara raised her hand, and another tentacle of water rose out of glass, climbing toward the ceiling. Mia and Katy sat there in shock. "You found your power!" They both exclaimed.

"I know right!" Sara responded, spinning around quickly. But the tentacle followed her, shooting forward and splashing all over Mia and Katy. They both gasped, rolling their eyes. Ten seconds later their tails appeared.

"Mind if you get us a towel?" Mia asked.

"After your excitement dies down from finding your power of course," Katy joked. Sara bounded to the bathroom, grabbing a couple towels and handing them to Katy and Mia, who dried off as quickly as possible. "Now we all have our powers!" Katy exclaimed as her legs returned followed quickly by Mia. The three of the girls were beaming at Sara's discovery. They all wondered if it could go better from here.

 **I wonder what's going to happen now that Farley knows about Sara's secret… Stay tuned for more soon! Send a review with your prediction.**


	7. Chapter 7: To Keep a Secret

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a definite change from the previous ones. Again disclaimer, I only own the characters I've created.**

 **Chapter 7: To Keep a Secret**

Farley's alarm blared in his ear. 5:45 am. He groaned, pulling himself up. He was not ready for this. But, he had to be. If he wanted to be more attractive and confident in order to go after Sara, this is what he had to do. He rolled out of bed, throwing workout clothes on and running to the beach to meet Blake.

At 6:02, Farley arrived at the beach to see Blake already waiting when he got there. Blake saw him immediately and waved him over. "Alright Farley. Two minutes late. Now get down and give me twenty pushups. Now!" Blake commanded.

Farley, startled, immediately got down and started doing pushups. He got twenty done barely, before collapsing into the sand feeling tired. He looked up to see Blake standing over him. Farley got up quickly. Blake put his hand on his shoulder. "This is not gonna be easy for you Farley," Blake began. "You have to promise me you'll keep at it no matter what." Farley nodded quickly. Blake put a finger in his face. "Don't you dare quit on me. I need that chemistry help just as you much as you need this. Now let's go for a jog.

Over the next hour, Blake had Farley do a variety of different bodyweight exercises from squats to sit ups and pushups. This finished out with a 5k run up and down the beach. By the end of it all, Farley was drenched in sweat and exhausted. Blake shook his hand, despite it being mostly limp. "Well done for your first day, Farley. But we have a ways to go."

They stopped at Rikki's Cafe on the way just as it opened. Zane was the only one working there when they arrived. "Hey it's the new guy!" Zane jested when he saw the two of them walk in. "You look tired as hell."

"We've been working out," Blake exclaimed. "Get my bloke here a protein shake on me."

"I'm on it." And Zane was busy making it. When he finished, he looked Farley up and down. "I gotta tell you Farley, you never caught me as the type of guy who would get up before school to do a workout."

Farley chuckled. "Well, Zane I hate to say it, but you were right about one thing. I'm trying to go after that American girl."

"I knew it! Ha Ha! People should give me more credit," Zane winked as Farley and Blake walked away.

"We're gonna do it tomorrow as well Farley," Blake warned.

"Aye, Aye captain," Farley joked. Even though the workout was rough, he had to admit that he kinda liked the challenge.

Sara, Mia, and Katy were walking into school that day. They were still beaming from Sara's discovery the night before about her powers. "I can't wait to get home to test it out more!" Sara exclaimed.

"What do you want to try?" Katy asked.

"I was thinking something. If I can control water, what if I used it to move water off of myself when I'm in mermaid form. That would make it so much easier to dry off quicker." Sara explained.

"I figured out how to do it with my powers," Mia added in. "I just steam-dry the water off of me."

"Hey! How can I use my freezy powers to dry myself?" Katy asked.

"I wouldn't try it. Unless you want to become a frozen fish stick of course," Sara joked. The three of them laughed.

Katy looked up ahead. "Hey Sara, isn't that your neighbor boy Farley up ahead? Ready to take him to…" Sara punched her in the shoulder before she could finish magic mermaid kingdom.

Mia looked up ahead. "Why the hell is he with Blake Everton? Why would he want to hang out with that pompous popular arse clown?"

Sara followed Mia's gaze. Sure enough, Farley and Blake were walking and talking, almost like old buddies. There was something different about Farley. _He seems animated and personable._ Sara shook it off.

Farley and Sara locked eyes. Farley smiled confidently at her. Sara returned it sheepishly, almost surprised by Farley's sudden confidence. The two went their separate ways. "I just saw her!" Farley exclaimed to Blake. "I smiled at her and she smiled back!"

"That's good Farley. Now, don't talk to her at lunch. You can't seem too available. Maybe see her walking home since you two live near each other. Talk to her at lunch tomorrow maybe, but definitely not today. You smiled at her and she smiled back. That's good enough for now," Blake replied.

Farley relaxed a bit. The first day under Blake's guidance and it seemed to be going well. He noticed Mitch in a corner of the grounds with a blond girl with almost flawless makeup. He elbowed Blake in the ribs, "I gotta go talk to Mitch a minute." Farley said.

"You're going to talk to Mitch? Seriously? Ha."

"What's so bad about him?"

"I know him from playing rugby. Hell of a player, but he's a bit of a jerk to most people. He just doesn't have a good home life I think. I'm not for sure. But he's not the nicest guy ever. In all seriousness, why are you going to talk to him?"

"I'm going to show him this." Farley pulled out his phone, showing a clear picture of the dormant volcano from Mako Island.

"You went to Mako Island to take that pic right?"

"Yeah, that's what Mitch said to do…"

"Mitch does what he does. I wouldn't pay it no mind."

"But if he said if I didn't he'd make my life hell."

"And now you've done it Farley. Just go show him the picture. He'll give you crap for it, but nothing will really happen. Hell, nothing would've happened probably if you'd done nothing" Blake half-joked with Farley. "I'll catch you later.

Farley gulped as Blake peeled away toward class, and Farley approached Mitch and the girl he was with. Mitch smirked as soon as he saw Farley come toward in, breaking away from the girl. "What's up new kid? Got that pic from Mako?" he asked, almost sneering.

"Yeah here." Farley showed Mitch the picture of him on Mako. Mitch only chuckled upon seeing it.

"Ha. I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to actually do it. You actually thought I was serious. Oh that's hilarious." Mitch bellowed with laughter, his girl joining in. Farley felt slightly embarrassed, his cheeks turning red.

"So what happens now?" Farley asked.

"Now? Nothing. We laugh at you for actually going to Mako, and then we get on with our lives."

"But you said you could make me more popular!" Farley moaned.

"And you were the one who believed it," Mitch and the girl began walking to class.

"That's not fair!" Farley yelled at their backs.

Mitch stopped mid stride, he turned around and came back to Farley, stopping mere centimeters from his face. "Well, new bitch, what are you gonna do about it? Just try something. Go ahead. Make my day."

Farley gulped, quite intimidated. "I'm going to do absolutely nothing," he spoke softly, afraid to say anything more.

Mitch just smiled a cocky smile. He patted Farley on the head again. "Good boy. Now run along," he spoke to Farley, before bursting out laughing, striding back to his girl, and they both went arm and arm back towards the buildings.

Farley breathed out quickly. After all that work, it ended up getting him nothing. Farley managed a smile. _Well, it was worth something to me. I found out about Sara's secret of being a mermaid._

First period was worst for Sara. She was never a big fan of history, and she had it first thing in the morning. Worse still, she had Marian sitting next to her the entire class, usually making snide comments to her which she had to brush off. When the bell rang, she was happy to get to her next class and away from Marian. Luckily, that was the only class she had with Marian the entire day.

Not as lucky for Katy, who had to sit by Marian the exact next period. Katy wasn't as hateful of Marian as Mia was because of her popularity or Sara because of starting the "Redneck Girl" thing, but she knew from those two that Marian probably wasn't the best person to hang around but she never really knew too much about what was so bad about her. Marian had never been mean to her before, but they had talked on occasion. So, Katy felt that she was of some acquaintance to Marian. They had gone to the same school for longer than she had known Mia.

Marian kept glancing at Katy throughout the entire class, squinting each time like she was thinking. Katy paid it no mind. She just really needed to take notes throughout the lecture. When the bell rang, announcing the end of second period, Katy got up and left the classroom, just like any other day.

Unlike any other day, she felt a tap on her back, and she turned around to see Marian there. "Hey Katy. How long have we known each other?" Marian said so innocently.

"Ten years or so I think. Why?" Katy asked, slightly confused that Marian wanted to talk to her.

"I need help with something, and I need someone I can trust. I assume you can keep your mouth shut. You're the perfect one for the job."

"Ok… But why...? And what do you want me to do?" Katy was even more confused now.

"You know my boyfriend Mitch right? Well, he's awesome, and a bad boy, and mysterious and hot. But, here's the problem. I don't know anything about him. I don't know where he lives, what his family is like or much of what he's like outside of school. Nothing."

"Why does that involve me?"

"Here's where you come in," Marian continued. "I need you to follow him home, secretly. Find how and where he lives and report back to me. If he catches you, just feign interest in how hot he is. Then he'll grumble about having a girlfriend and tell you to get lost. Seems easy enough right?"

"Why should I do it?" Katy asked, trying to sound indignant.

"Because I know you're loyal to your friends. If you do this, I'll stop calling Sara 'Redneck Girl'. Ok?"

"Ok. Yeah ok. I guess I can do that," Katy spoke, eager to make a friend and help out Sara.

"Ok, here's what you need to do…."

Some hours later, as the students were shuffling out for the end of the day, Katy stood in the shadows, waiting for Mitch to appear. She made up an excuse to Sara and Mia to go on without her, saying that she had to stay behind with a teacher. Soon enough, Mitch came out of one of the buildings with Marian. He kissed her bye, then headed down one of the side roads away from the school.

Marian texted Katy "Ok. Follow him now. I believe in you!" _Why am I doing this again?_ Katy thought to herself as she went after Mitch at a distance. He followed the coastline for some time before turning inward, following a seemingly abandoned canal through a more forested area.

Yet, she continued after him. The path winded through the trees, and it emptied out into a clearing. The canal led to a small turquoise colored boat house sitting at one end, with a small dock hanging next to it.

And that's exactly what Mitch went into. Confused, Katy cautiously and quietly approached the boat shed, careful to stay out of sight. She crept up to the wall, crawling around until she got to the nearest window. She slowly peered inside, keeping low as best she could. Mitch was sitting on an older couch against the back wall, flipping through a book. He was just… sitting there. And reading as well!

 _He seems so different here than he is at school. I thought he was just the usual bad boy, but here he is reading and he just seems so... normal..._ Katy froze. Mitch looked up, and the two of them locked eyes. When she saw him getting up, Katy turned to run, but her foot got caught on an upturned board, sending her sprawling across the deck. She turned around to see Mitch burst through the door, anger and confusion on his face.

"Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here?" He asked. Neither one moved, Katy on the ground and Mitch at the door.

"I… I…" Katy couldn't find words.

"Hey. I recognize you from school," Mitch spoke, more calm this time. "You hang out with that American girl, and the other girl. Mika maybe? Something like that." Mitch spoke. Katy nodded quickly. Still not finding words. "Listen, why did you follow me here? I'm not going to hurt you, I just want some answers."

The words came tumbling out of Katy all of a sudden in a panic. "My name is Katy. Marian came up to me today and said she doesn't know about you and wanted me to find out where you lived and what you were like outside of school and other stuff about you so that's why I'm here."

Mitch sighed and hung his head. Katy swore she could see a tear begin to form, or maybe it was just her imagination. "Well, looks like you found out. I live in this shithole of a boat house," Mitch joked slightly, "Let me guess, you're gonna go running back to Marian, telling her the entire truth, that I'm not some rich twat."

"I-I don't know," Katy stammered. "I… but… why do you live here?" Katy grew courage for a moment. "And why do you seem so different than in school? I won't tell Marian a thing. I just want to know why you are here."

Mitch sighed. "Alright, you better come in. It's a long story, and I guess it's time someone knows about it." Mitch beckoned her inside. Katy hopped up, and summoning all her courage, entered the boat house behind Mitch.

The boat house was relatively clean, with a large table in the center. Kitchen supplies and appliances were shoved against the left wall, with a bed on the other side of that. Katy took a seat on the couch she had seen Mitch reading on not a few minutes prior. Mitch leaned against the table, seemingly lost in thought.

"Most people would look at me over the last few years, and would say I've been basically the same guy on the surface." Mitch began. He paused for a minute before continuing. "Some of that is true, mostly to keep up appearances. I had always been a rebellious kid. Stealing a few things here and there, taking boats for joyrides, that kind of thing. Probably came from my parents. They were never in a good situation. Money was always tight, they would fight a lot, so I was mostly free to do whatever I wanted, sometimes involving small crimes."

"But what changed? Do you still do those crimes?" Katy spoke up, trying to retain composure.

"Like I said, it's a long story. Give me some time to explain. Over the years, my father became a worse and more bitter alcoholic. He'd be down at a bar or pub every night after work, and come home absolutely pissed each time. As he became more and more dependent on alcohol to function, his marriage to my mother deteriorated. Arguments would sometimes turn violent, and I would be there to enjoy the show."

Katy swore a tear began to form again in Mitch's eye. But, it could've been just a reflection. Mitch went on, "About eight months or so ago, they had a usual argument such as they always did. They both had been drinking heavily. Then the argument turned to physical as it usually did. But this time it was different. My father grabbed my mother and threw her to the ground. I tried to be ignorant, but seeing my mother collapse to the floor in pain got to me. All the anger I had saved up was unleashed. I ran at my father, tackling him to the floor. I landed three strong punches to the face."

Mitch waited for a moment before continuing again. Katy could see this was the first time he told this story to anyone, much less a stranger such as her. The memories were getting to him. "I was... about to launch another one when I stopped and looked around. My mother was crying and trying to stand, and I was over my father beating him senseless. I realized the cycle of violence it had become. I was doomed to become what my father had become. Unless I changed it. I jumped back off of him, who slowly pulled himself up. He looked me straight in the face. 'GET OUT GET OUT!' he yelled at me. 'NEVER COME BACK HERE!' And so, I left right then and there."

"And that's w-when you moved here right?" Katy asked, feeling the tension in the room.

"Mostly yes. I left that night, running away. I had no idea where to go. I was panicked and eventually bumped into this boat house. It was abandoned, yet seemingly in good shape. It even had an old mattress in here. So, I slept here that night so long ago. As I was drifting off to sleep, I made a promise to myself. I would never turn out like my father. I was going to graduate high school, go off to University, and become a better man. The small crimes stopped there. I was gonna do everything straight. And, I've lived here ever since. Never saw my father again. I did… break into my house to grab some of my clothes and important items, but after that, I haven't been home at all."

"How do you support yourself?" Katy asked.

"That summer, I worked as many odd jobs as I could. If I could do it, I would do it. It was tough, but after three months I had enough money to stop working for the school year. And, living here in this boat house, the rent is so cheap, so I really just need to pay for food and a few other expenses."

"But why do you act the same at school? Why do you have this bad guy type of personality?" Katy asked.

"You certainly have a lot of questions." Mitch joked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't really work.

"I've seen you at this school for almost two years. And, well, you've always acted that way, even after what happened eight months ago. There was really no change."

"That was my plan. I wanted to make sure that everyone at school thought nothing had changed. While here, I would do my best to graduate cleanly and be on my way. Then, when I got to University, I wouldn't have to have the whole bad boy image. I'm settling into this boat house as my new home, playing rugby. But that's about it. That's my big secret. So, are you gonna tell Marian? The rugby team? The whole school?"

"No! Not at all!" Katy replied. "I know what it's like trying to keep a secret." _Shit! I can't talk about my secret!_ Katy quickly continued. "I wouldn't dare do anything like that to you. You've been through a lot and you're trying to improve your life. I respect that."

Mitch managed a half-smile. "Thank you Katy. I suppose I had to tell someone soon. I just hope I can trust you. How do I know I can trust you though?"

"I…" Katy began. _I can't tell him my secret in return!_ "You're going to have to trust me. But, I would like to talk to you again. The real you. Here. And not the fake you that goes to my school."

Mitch smiled. "I'd like that."

Katy got up and went to the door. "Talk to you later Mitch!" she exclaimed, and raced away. She had a huge smile on her face the whole way home. She was happy to make a new friend out of the real Mitch. The one who was willing to share with her his secret. Yet, she wondered if she could ever tell him about hers.

 **Make sure to leave a review if you love the story!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Light of the Full Moon

**Chapter 8: The Light of the Full Moon**

Sara woke on Saturday to a pleasant morning. It had been around one month since she had arrived in Australia, and despite the ups and downs and strange occurrences, she was happy with it. Being a mermaid with her two best friends helped that as well. She lay in bed for a minute, enjoying the sun rays coming into her bedroom window. She had a sleepover with Mia and Katy that night at Katy's house while her parents were gone for the weekend. It was going to be a great night with just the three of them.

She poured herself a bath, locking the bathroom door behind her. She got in, her tail appearing after ten seconds as per usual. She admired it as the fin stuck out of the bath water in front of her. _I still haven't gotten used to it, but for now I wouldn't change it for the world._ Sara smiled. She lay in the bath enjoying the warmth.

"Sara honey?" her dad called from outside the door, knocking.

"D-don't come in!" Sara stammered, flopping around for a minute before remembering she had locked the door.

"Your friends are here," her dad called from behind the door.

"Send them to my room!" She called back. Silence followed for a minute, then a new softer knock happened on the door.

"Sara! It's Mia! I'm here with Katy!" Can we come in?" came the call from the other side of the door.

"Hold up!" Sara rolled herself out of the tub and flopped onto the ground. "Lock my bedroom door, I don't want my parents coming in."

"Ok, we've done that." Mia replied after a few seconds, "But I don't see why… oh…" Sara had unlocked and opened the door from the floor, opening it to Mia and Katy who saw her as full mermaid. "Nice bath?" she joked.

"Oh yeah? Watch this?" Sara focused her powers on the water on her tail. The tiny droplets clumped together in a giant ball, which she moved back into the tub. Within seconds, her legs returned. She jumped up and struck a pose for the two of them. "Ta Da! I told you I would learn how to do it!"

"That's quite impressive actually. I wish I could do that!" Katy exclaimed.

Sara just grinned at the both of them. "Ok Team Mako. What's the plan for today?"

"First, the cafe. I need some juice," Mia spoke. "Then swimming?"

"Perfect! Let's visit Mako Island as well," Sara agreed.

"I'm in for that," Katy affirmed.

"Ok, Let's go," Mia announced.

Sara threw on shorts and a shirt, and the three of them waltzed down to the Cafe in high spirits. They entered only to see Blake and Farley already in there, ordering juice from the counter from one of the waitresses. They were chatting up like they were old friends. There was something different with Farley since he started hanging out with Blake. He must've gotten on a fitness routine, as he seemed to have slightly more muscle than when she first saw him some weeks ago.

"Hey girls," Blake spoke when he saw them, smiling his great smile. "How's it going today?"

"Crappy. Now that we've seen you," Mia stated flatly.

"Oh come on Mia, what's the problem?" Blake asked, honestly confused.

"Whatever, I'm outta here. Don't want to be here with this pompous arse clown," Mia replied, pointing a finger at Blake then turning tail and out the door, making a scene.

"Mia wait!" Blake exclaimed, and went after her.

Mia was already walking away from the Cafe when Blake caught up to her. "What the hell do you want Blake?"

"I want to ask why you always act like this. Whenever I see you, you're always pissed off at me for some reason." Blake replied, somewhat concerned.

"We were best friends in Elementary school Blake, and then you got popular. And, you left me behind. So, if you can't see it, I'm a little bit still angry because of that. Any other explanation needed? Or should I explain in more simple language so your tiny mind can comprehend." Mia spouted.

"I know. Mia. I'm sorry. I wish I could change some things in my life."

"Really? Perfect Blake wishes he could change his life? I find that hard to believe. Also, looks as though you're trying to corrupt Farley as well with your petty stupidity."

"No. But.. Yes, I wish I could change things in my life. I wish… we could've stayed as friends. That I do regret. And I'm not trying to corrupt Farley! I'm trying to help him." Blake answered.

"Why do I find both things so hard to believe?" Mia rolled her eyes.

"Listen," Blake moved a little closer. "Farley wants to ask out Sara. He came to me wanting to get more fit, as well as learning how to be more confident in himself so he can ask her out. That's why I'm helping him. But don't tell Sara, I don't want Farley to get found out. It would break his heart. As for you? I'd actually like to ask you for coffee sometime next week. My treat. Just us two."

Mia rolled her eyes again. "Won't your current lady friend get offended?"

"I'm actually single. Have been for awhile," Blake admitted. "All those girls just want to date me to make themselves seem more popular. It almost drains me. So, what do you say? Interested?" Blake smiled.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Oh those pretty girls only want to date you because you're popular. Poor Blake, whatever will you do." Mia sighed, "Alright. You know what? Fine. I'll think about it. I'll text you tomorrow what my final answer is."

"I'll take it! See you then!" And Blake walked off into the distance, leaving Mia alone outside the Cafe. _We shall see Blake. We shall see._ She grumbled to herself as she returned to the Cafe.

Sara and Farley were chatting it up and having a good time, with Katy chiming in every once in awhile. Mia managed a half-smile when she saw Sara and Farley talking. _Maybe whatever Blake is doing with him is working_. Katy beamed when she saw Mia walk in. "Mia you're back! What's with Blake?" She asked.

"He… asked me for coffee tomorrow. Wants to talk again… Or something..." Mia trailed off.

"Mia that's great!" Katy exclaimed, "So it's a date!"

"No, it's just coffee," Mia rebutted.

"Ha. In the US we say 'just coffee' to disguise the fact that it's an actual date. Face it Mia, you're going on a date with Blake Everton. And he wants to actually talk to you, and not just have it be part of some popularity contest." Sara put in.

"Ugh whatever get me a juice. I just want to forget about Blake," Mia answered.

Farley liked having this chance to talk to Sara. He followed Blake's advice on a few things, and it seemed to be working decently well. He was having great conversation with Sara. Maybe he would get a chance to date her, beautiful mermaid and all. He lazily looked back around the cafe when Mia returned and roped Sara back in conversation. He noticed Zane standing in the doorway to his the manager's office. Zane beckoned him over.

"Looks like you're doing quite well for yourself with Sara," Zane joked to Farley when he walked over.

"Yeah, it's going pretty good. I haven't gotten the chance to ask her out yet, but I'm working on it," Farley replied.

"That's great to hear," Zane got closer to Farley. "Listen, Farley, I can trust you right?"

"Uh… I guess so? What's this about Zane?" _What is he playing at here?_

"Look, I want you to watch out for my cousin tonight. The three of them are having a sleepover tonight, and I have a feeling Mia might get into trouble."

"How do you know they're having a sleepover?"

"They've been constantly chatting about it in this Cafe for multiple days. It would be impossible to not hear about it even if I wanted to."

"What kind of trouble could they be getting into?"

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Can I trust you on this Farley?"

"Uh… yeah, I can check in on them to see if they're doing ok. I think they're doing it at Katy's house, which is on the opposite side of the canal from me. It shouldn't be too much of an issue."

"Great. I knew I could count on you. Text me if you notice anything out of the ordinary. I just want my cousin to stay safe after all."

"Will do," And, Farley walked away, rejoining the group of girls. Zane slunk back into his office, scratching his chin. _Now to see if my theory is correct, tonight being the full moon after all. I hope it isn't the case. But, better to be safe._ Zane thought to himself.

"What'd Zane want?" Sara asked when Farley returned to the group.

"Ah. Nothing. He just wanted to talk for a minute." Farley replied quickly

"Nothing? Ha! It's never just nothing with my cousin. Go on spill. What'd he want?" Mia asked.

"I swear it was nothing! Honestly!"

"Spill it Farley. What's going on in that mind of Zane?" Sara joined in.

Farley spit out an excuse. "We were talking about me possibly having a job at the Cafe. Zane needs more staff, so I volunteered. We were just going over the possibility of it."

The three girls nodded, seemingly agreeing. Farley relaxed a bit. He sent a quick text to Zane explaining his excuse. "Nice save. They shouldn't know what I asked you about." came the text back.

Sara, Mia, and Katy said goodbye to Farley and exited the Cafe, walking along the pier. They finished their juices, and headed toward the water and diving in. They knew where they were going. The three of them raced toward Mako Island. It was neck and neck the whole way, but Mia's swimming expertise and knowledge won out in the end, with her arriving at the Moon Pool first, followed by Sara, and then Katy.

"Ha! I win!" Mia gloated when the other two emerged.

"Ah come on. I've only been here for a month! Give me more time to memorize the ocean and get used to swimming. Then I'll kick your ass every time," Sara bantered.

"Oh yeah Redneck Girl?" Mia joked. The three of them burst out laughing at Sara's supposed nickname. They all floated on their backs, enjoying the sensation of the water around them. A few minutes later, Mia rose up out of the water. "You know, I've been thinking."

"Mia's been thinking? That can only be bad," Katy jested, poking fun at her.

"Oh ha ha Katy. But this might actually be serious. Do you remember four weeks ago when we became mermaids? The full moon rose above the crater above us, then went the dancing lights and bubbling waters." Mia spoke.

"What's your point? We became... Mermaids after that. No big deal or anything," Sara put in, still feeling awkward using the word mermaid.

"Well, tonight is the first full moon since we changed. I don't know if that means anything, but it could be the full moon is important to this place. I don't think we should come here tonight once the moon comes up. It could take away our tails or worse." Mia theorized.

"We'll be fine! We have the sleepover tonight at my house anyway. We won't need to come to Mako late at night." Katy responded.

"I suppose you're right," Mia agreed. "Who knows, it's probably nothing anyway."

While Mia was talking to Katy, Sara picked up a water ball out of the pool. "Hey Mia! Catch!" She spoke, throwing the ball upward.

"Wha…? Mia didn't have a chance to finish, as the water ball splashed all over her. Sara and Katy burst out in uncontrollable laughter while Mia just sat there, anger spewing from her. "I could boil this water and turn you all into fish fry right now." Was what came from Mia.

"Lighten up Mia!" Katy spoke to her, "It was actually kinda funny."

"Whatever. I'm going back home. I'll see the two of you tonight for the sleepover," Mia responded, and slunk out of the Moon Pool and back towards the mainland, leaving Sara and Katy alone.

"Do you think Mia is right about the full moon thing?" Katy asked.

Sara shook her head. "I don't know. Probably not, but then again with the whole mermaid thing, anything is possible."

Some hours later, when the sun was setting, Sara and Mia arrived at Katy's house. Katy let them in, "You made it!" she exclaimed as the two girls stepped foot in her house. Katy's house was bigger than Sara's. Sara didn't mind too much. Katy's parents were stock brokers, and they were on a business trip to Sydney and wouldn't be back until late sunday night. But they were absolutely loaded, that was for sure.

The living room was spacious, with a ceiling going all the way up to the roof two stories up. A skylight stood in the center of the ceiling, providing perfect natural light during the day. This lead to the back porch where a large swimming pool was waiting surrounded by an eight foot high wooden fence, useful against watchful eyes.

Katy began rattling off everything she had planned for the night. "So I have all the greatest movies if you guys want to watch anything. I have some fun board games if you want that. I'm pretty sure there's an old Wii in the basement if you want to do that."

"Movie would be great," Sara laughed.

The three of them piled into Katy's basement and onto her large, comfy couch. They popped in an awful rom com to laugh at and began watching. Halfway through the movie, Sara spoke up. "Hey, I gotta use the bathroom, and I'm gonna make some popcorn if you guys want some."

"Yes please!" Katy replied.

"Sure, that would be great." Mia as well. "Just make sure you wash your hands before making the popcorn. I don't want to taste your piss on my popcorn." Sara just rolled her eyes and laughed, making her way upstairs. After using the bathroom, she went over to the kitchen, grabbing an instant popcorn bag off the shelf and placing it into the microwave. She leaned against the counter as the popcorn began its way to popping.

She stared lazily out into the night sky. The stars were bright that night, she could see everything. She tried to recognize constellations, but being in the southern hemisphere, she couldn't see anything she remembered from what her dad taught her. She did see the moon though.

The full moon

Sara was instantly enamored to it. It was so bright and beautiful. The moon filled her with such energy that she never felt before. Then, the full moon pulled her into its full grasp, and she was lost to its influences.

Farley was sitting at home tapping his foot, nervously. Zane had put him into a precarious position. He wanted to keep an eye on Mia for Zane and make sure she didn't get in any trouble. But, that could compromise his standing with Sara. Trying to be overly protective of their group would certainly be off-putting, ruining his chances. And so, he kept tapping.

"Nervous about something?" His father asked him.

"No. I'm fine. I'm just thinking about high school stuff," Farley lied, trying to throw off his father. It seemed to work.

His father yawned. "Alright then. I'm going to bed. Try not to stay up too late! I know it's a saturday night, but you still need your rest."

"Yes dad," Farley responded, and his dad was off to bed. And, Farley continued his foot tapping.

Curiously, Farley felt his phone buzz. He looked at it to see a text from Sara. "Come to Katy's house. Need you. Urgent." Was all it said. Farley didn't need anything else. He was out the door within seconds.

Sara had not come down for almost ten minutes, and Mia and Katy were starting to get worried. "It should not take this long for Sara to make popcorn. I know she's from a different country, but it's not that much more confusing." Mia spoke up.

"Just give her some time," Katy reassured.

"Screw that. I'm hungry and I want to continue the movie. I'm going up to make sure she's ok." Mia decided.

"Alright fine. Let's go. I want to stretch my legs anyway." The two of them got up from their seats in the basement and headed upstairs. They found Sara sitting upright on the couch upstairs, staring straightforward. "Sara, are you alright?" Katy asked, quite concerned.

"Oh. Hello friends." Sara stated without moving. "Yes. I am quite alright."

"Sara what's going on? This isn't funny whatever this is," Mia chimed in, even more concerned.

Sara looked straight up. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight." With that, she pointed skyward. Mia and Katy followed her gaze and finger to see she was staring at the skylight. They stared up at it confused.

Then, the moon came into view. Mia and Katy stared at it, mesmerized. It was so serene and pleasant. Then, they were lost to its presence as its warmth enveloped them.

It had taken little time for Farley to cross the canal over to Katy's house. He tied his boat to her dock and climbed up toward the house. He went around to the front door, trying to act as casual as possible. He was about to knock, when he peered through the front window to see the three girls staring straight upward in the living room. None of them were moving, just staring skyward. Curiously, Farley tried the door.

It was unlocked. Farley opened the door into the living room. Not one of the girls flinched when he entered. "Hey girls!" He said trying to get their attention. "Sara texted me, saying you needed me?"

"Oh. Hello Farley," Katy stated.

"Isn't the moon beautiful tonight?" Mia spoke.

"Come join us in the moonlight Farley," Sara enticed him.

Farley shivered. There was something creepy and uncomfortable about their voices. It was unmistakably their unique voices, but they were monotone, unmoving. He followed the girls' gaze and looked up to see a skylight directly above him. The full moon was there, but there wasn't much special about it. It just slowly drifted across the sky. "What's so good about the moon?" he asked aloud.

"I can feel it's warmth. It's so peaceful," Mia spoke.

"The moon calls to us. It speaks to us," Sara said.

 _This is nuts. That's it. This is weird enough. I'm calling Zane. This could be what he asked about._ He pulled out his phone and dialed Zane's number. Zane picked it up on the first ring. "Hey Farley. What's going on? Anything happening?" Zane spoke through the receiver.

"Something… Weird is going on Zane. I don't know what it is. The girls seem to be hypnotized by… moonlight. I know it sounds weird, but you said anything odd."

There was a silence on the other end for a few uncomfortable seconds. Then, "I'm on my way," And the line went dead. Farley looked at his phone in confusion, then shook his head and slowly put it back into his pocket.

Not five minutes later, Zane came bursting through the door with a crazed look in his eye. He immediately saw the girls staring skyward at the moon. "Oh shit. I knew it. I knew it I knew it." he spoke.

"What's the problem Zane? Is there something you're not telling me?" Farley asked.

"Farley go home. This is for me to handle."

"Why are they like this? Hypnotized by the moon and everything."

"Farley drop it. I can handle it." And Zane went briskly over to the girls."

Suddenly, it all clicked in Farley's head. Why they all were acting like this. He made a daring accusation. "It's because they're all mermaids aren't they." He spoke.

Zane stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning back toward Farley. "How do you know about mermaids?" he asked in a low voice.

"I… I saw Sara with her tail some weeks back. Then I come here and see them all acting really strangely. I thought how they've always been extremely close. I just took a shot in the dark." Farley spoke up.

"You are going to tell me everything you know about them as mermaids," Zane spoke, pointing directly at Farley. "But first, help me get these three into the pool. It's easier to keep an eye on them." He grabbed Mia and Katy by the wrists and pulled them backward. "Come on you two, we're going for a swim."

"I'd love a swim!" Mia exclaimed.

"Me too!" Katy followed.

Farley looked at Sara as Zane pulled the other two out. "Come on Sara." he spoke.

Sara looked up at Farley with her beautiful blue eyes. "Farley, I'm so glad you came here," She spoke. She stood up from the couch, smiling at Farley. She went forward and kissed Farley directly on the lips. She felt so tender and warm, Farley felt lost in it, his mind fogging up.

"Farley! Bring Sara here!" Zane commanded from the porch. Farley immediately broke the embrace and stepped back, shaking his head.

He grabbed Sara's hand and pulled her toward the pool. "Come on Sara. Let's go swimming!" He said.

Sara's eyes lit up. "Oh I love swimming!" She exclaimed.

Farley pulled Sara toward the back and caught up to Zane at the edge of the pool. Zane lightly pushed Mia and Katy, and the two of them fell backwards into the pool. Farley followed suit with Sara, pushing her into the pool. Not ten seconds later, the three girls were all gliding around in the pool with their tails. Farley's eyes were as wide as plates as he saw all three girls that he had known from school, all as mermaids. _Why? Where did they all come from? I knew Sara, but I hadn't confirmed all three of them._

Zane just shook his head. "I told them not to go to Mako Island that night. Looks like they got into a bit of trouble after all," he mumbled. He walked back inside with Farley in tow. Zane grabbed himself some water, chugging it down in one gulp. He looked at Farley. "Ok wise guy. How did you know about Sara being a mermaid, and by extension Mia and Katy as well?"

"I went out to Mako Island, and I fell into some cavern. I went along the cave to find a room with a pool in it. Sara then came at the same time and appeared in the pool, tail and all. That's it."

"What are you gonna do with that information? Sell it to the highest bidder? Reveal them in public? That'll make you quite rich and famous."

"No! I wouldn't dare… I just…"

"You just what? This is an extreme secret Farley. None of this can escape from here!"

"I wanted to date Sara ok? I know it sounds crazy, but when I saw her in that pool, she was more beautiful than I possibly imagined. I don't want to hurt her or her friends. That's why I'm doing the whole stuff with Blake in the first place!"

"So… That first day a few weeks ago when you came into the Cafe with Blake really early in the morning, saying that you wanted a chance Sara. That was because she was a mermaid?"

"Well, I had a bit of a crush on her before I found out she was a mermaid. That fact only sealed the deal. I would never reveal her. I couldn't do that to her."

"Ok… I believe I can trust you… Hopefully.. " Zane spoke. He stared directly at Farley, finger pointed threateningly. "Don't do anything to betray that trust."

"Never would I do anything to do that," Farley replied, stammering. Zane nodded, resting against the counter. He lazily looked out the window, only to see Katy being pulled up and over the wooden fence into the yard beyond.

"Shit!" Zane exclaimed racing out to the pool.

The girls were gone. Zane didn't waste a second. He ran at the fence, climbing over it. Farley followed close behind, using his strength gained from working out with Blake to hoist himself over the fence behind Zane. He landed to see the three girls all racing toward the canal with Zane right behind.

Zane wasn't fast enough. The girls dove off of the dock and into the dock waters of the canal. With their tails reappearing, they raced off down the canal. Zane hopped into a red zodiac attached to the dock next to Farley's boat. "Get in your boat! We may need to split up to go after them. Head to Mako Island!" And he raced off.

Farley jumped into his boat, gunning the engine and racing off down the canal after Zane. The two of them went as fast as they could out to sea, racing for Mako Island. Farley had his boat pressed to the max as they raced into the darkness.

Mako Island soon became barely visible under the light of the full moon as they approached, landing on the same beach Farley had landed some weeks ago. They pulled their boats ashore. Zane pulled out a torch and lit the way with Farley right behind.

The two of them worked their way toward the cavern, heading down into the crevasse in the rock outcropping. They pulled up into the moon pool room to see the three girls in the pool staring straight up. The water around them was bubbling, with light shining down from above. "Sara!" Farley shouted, stepping toward the pool.

Zane threw out an arm, blocking Farley. "Don't go in there. I don't know what'll happen to you, but it can't be good. Just wait."

In a minute, the bubbling stopped as well as the light. The girls fell onto their backs in the water, their eyes closed. "Sara!" Farley yelled again, breaking through Zane and running over to the pool. "They're still breathing!" he shouted back to Zane.

"Of course they are," Zane replied, stepping toward the pool. "They're just asleep now. The moon is done with them for tonight. Let them sleep there. We shall keep watch over them."

Farley collapsed onto floor, exhausted. It had been a tough night. Zane sat next to him. "How do you know so much about this mermaid stuff?" Farley asked. "Seems like you know someone else who is a mermaid who went through this. That's why you seemed like an expert tonight."

"I don't want to talk about it Farley," Zane replied.

"We have time."

"Farley, my knowledge comes over many years. I will not talk about my past with you. I only need you to trust me."

"Whatever. Screw me for trying to help someone. I'm only doing for this for them."

"You did a good thing helping out tonight Farley. Sara would be proud."

"I… I don't want her to know about tonight. I don't want her yet to know about how I know she's a mermaid. I'll do that on my own terms."

"You have my word. But, you should ask her out soon in my opinion. Trust me from my own experience, waiting won't make it work. And still, she needs to know soon that you know about her secret."

Farley only nodded, staring out over the pool. "She kissed me tonight," He stated.

"Oh yeah? I'm guessing it was pretty great," Zane chuckled.

"I mean… Yeah kinda? But, knowing that it wasn't really her that did it just makes it more deflating ya know?" Farley sighed.

Zane patted him on the shoulder. "Fear not Farley. The true Sara was in that kiss. She may not remember it, but give it a real chance next time."

Farley nodded, returning his gaze to the Moon Pool. The tiredness seeped into his mind, and he lay against the floor of the cave. A second later he was sound asleep.

Some hours later, Farley woke up to see a wall of stone above him, he jolted upward in shock, only to realize he was still in the moon pool room. He looked out to see the girls still asleep in mermaid form floating in the pool. He checked his watch, and 5:17 blinked at him. Next to him, Zane was stirring as well. Soon, he sat upright as well. "Morning. Girls not up yet?" he asked. Farley shook his head. Zane rubbed his temples. "Ok. Let's go home. The sun'll be up as well as the girls, and we shouldn't be here when they wake up." Zane explained, standing up and helping Farley to his feet.

The two of them headed out of the cave into the morning just before dawn. They headed back through the jungle to their boats. They got in and rode toward the mainland. When they reached it, the two of them went their separate ways. Farley headed back to his home and bed. It was his day off with Blake, and he wanted to spend every second sleeping. He was out before his head hit the pillow.

Zane, on the other hand was busy. He headed back toward the cafe, parking his boat in the harbor outside it. He waited in his office for some time, thinking on what to do. _I need to make a call._

He picked up his phone, dialing a number he had saved in memory. The phone rang twice before a woman's voice sounded on the other side. "Zane! It's good to hear from you! But… Isn't it like 6 am where you are back home?"

"Rikki. We need to talk. It's urgent."

Sara felt warm and pleasant. She slowly came back into consciousness. But, she felt weird. What was she lying in? She arose and opened her eyes, only to be shocked that she was in the moon pool with Mia and Katy on either side of her. The both of them were beginning to wake as well. "What… Where are we?" Mia asked, slightly half asleep.

"We're in the moon pool!" Sara exclaimed. "How did we get here?"

"Last thing I remember. Sara, you were really acting weird and kept wanting us to stare at the moon. I remember seeing it and feeling comfortable. Then, I'm just waking up now. That's all I remember." Katy spoke.

"Same with me! It's the moon! I told you it would affect us!" Mia realized.

"Hold up. Why are we here then?" Sara asked.

"I-I don't know. But, I don't like it. Let's go back to Katy's house and figure out what happened. I'm feeling slightly cold and I miss my legs," Mia spoke.

The other two agreed, and all three of them raced away from Mako Island.

A half hour, they sat in Katy's living room. It was still early morning, and although they felt tired, they were determined to figure this mystery out. Sara and Katy sat on the couch, while Mia paced back and forth in front of them. "I told you. It's the full moon! It has to be! The full moon changed us into mermaids, and now it affects us whenever we look at it," Mia theorized.

"We don't know that for sure," Sara responded. "It could've been anything."

"Sara, Mia does have a point. The last thing each of us remembers is looking at the moon, and then we all wake up in the moon pool with no recollection during the interim." Katy agreed.

"See Sara! Katy thinks the same thing," Mia said.

"Ok ok. Maybe the full moon affects us. What do we do now?" Sara asked.

Mia was about to respond when their was a loud knock at the door. They all three turned quickly toward the door. Mia gulped and opened the door to… "Zane? What are you doing here?" Mia asked.

Zane took one step into the house. "I'm gonna get straight to the point because I don't want to mess around. I know all three of you are mermaids." He stated. Katy gasped before covering her mouth to try and stop it. Sara went completely pale.

Mia was the only one who steeled her nerve. "Zane are you ok? You must not be feeling well. Besides, mermaids don't exist anyway." She lied.

Zane turned to Mia. "Cut the shit Mia. Do you want me to get a water glass and pour it on all of you?" He spoke angrily.

Mia turned her head downward. "How did you find out about us?" she asked in a low voice.

"Mia!" Sara shouted.

"What Sara? He obviously knows about us." Mia turned to Zane. "How did you find out?"

"I'll explain what I can. I just want to tell you girls though. Even with it all, I'm the best ally you've all got right now. And, you need my help."

 **A/N: I hope you like this one! This is my longest chapter to date. This opens up on so much now that Zane knows about the girls. What will happen next?**


	9. Chapter 9: Loss for Words

**Chapter 9: Loss for Words**

Cleo Sertori burst out of the science building on her college campus. Another semester was in the books, as she had just finished her last final exam of the school year. In only three days, she would be catching a plane from the San Diego Airport to fly home to Australia. Not only that, it would be the first time in months that She, Rikki, and Bella got to revisit Mako Island and go swimming in their home waters. Needless to say, she was excited.

It was a quick ten minute walk away from campus to reach the flat she shared with her two best friends, and she could barely contain her enthusiasm. She burst into her flat, throwing her bag onto the couch. "I'm home!" she yelled to whoever could hear. She looked to the kitchen to see Rikki Chadwick standing there still, back to Cleo. Her phone was held up to her ear. "Earth to Rikki? Your favorite roommate is here!"

Rikki turned slowly. The look on her face was one of pure shock, worry, and confusion. Her normal light colored face was even more pale, almost as if she'd seen a ghost. She slowly put the phone down, seemingly staring off into space. "W-we need to talk…" she stammered. "Go get Bella from her room. This involves her too." Rikki just glided out of the kitchen and into the living room, seemingly startled. Cleo's anxiety ramped up. Something obviously bad had happened to turn the normally energetic Rikki into someone that fearful. She ran down the hall.

Isabella Hartley was fast asleep when Cleo knocked on her door. Her exams were already finished and she was enjoying her mornings by sleeping in. So, when Cleo entered in, she was quite unhappy. "Go away," Bella murmured at Cleo, half asleep. Cleo wasn't taking no for an answer, and she literally dragged Bella out of bed. "Ok Ok I'm coming. Geez."

"Rikki needs us now. Living room. Let's go." Cleo responded.

A few minutes later, Bella was fully awake, and the three of them were sitting in the living room. Rikki still looked pale and almost afraid to speak. "Well, Rikki, what's going on?" Cleo asked.

"I just got off the phone with Zane…" Rikki began.

"Oh no is he breaking up with you?" Bella asked, concerned.

"What? No! No it's worse. Much worse. It involves all three of us as well." Rikki replied.

"What is it Rikki?" Cleo spoke, nervous. "What's so awful that has you acting like this?"

"There… are three new mermaids on the Gold Coast. Changed in the moon pool on Mako. We're no longer the only ones." Rikki spoke. The room fell silent. This was huge news. For years they were the only ones, and now there were three more mermaids in Australia, unready for what lie ahead.

"How did you find out about what happened to us?" Mia asked to a smug looking Zane. She, Sara, and Katy sat in Katy's living room with Zane who sat across from them. Sara felt scared almost, even more scared than when she moved to Australia or first became a mermaid four weeks prior.

"Last night I happened by to say hi on my way home from the Cafe. When I dropped by, the three of you were acting really weird. Weirder than usual at least. It wasn't until you three jumped into the pool that I saw your tails," Zane explained. Sure, he was lying a little bit to cover for Farley, but most of it was true. "You were all moonstruck. You looked at the full moon and it basically hypnotized you."

"I knew it," Mia affirmed. "I knew the full moon would affect us. I just didn't want to believe it."

"Why don't we remember anything from last night?" Sara asked.

"I wish I knew," Zane replied. "The full moon made you all behave irrationally. You didn't care about revealing your tails. All you wanted to do was go to Mako Island."

"We woke up there this morning!" Katy exclaimed, "Our moonstruck selves must've swam there to be more connected to the full moon."

"Precisely my point. When the next full moon comes around in a month, you all must be prepared for it. Cover all windows, don't go outside, and for the love of god keep an eye on each other. This is a huge secret, and you all need to be ready to protect it at all costs. The full moon is your easiest chance to lose that secret. You lost it to me so easily for example," Zane explained.

"Wait wait wait…. Hold everything! Zane. How do you know about all this mermaid stuff?" Mia asked directly, "Sounds to me like you've had experience dealing with this before and not just some random internet searches."

Zane chuckled. "Mia. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," He stated. He stood up, patting Mia on the head. "Looks like you're all going to have to trust me. Like I said, I'm your biggest ally right now. If you ever need help, come to the Cafe. But until then, don't get splashed around people." Zane was over to the door in a second.

Mia was right behind him, grabbing him and pulling him back. "So that's it Zane? Just a 'how do you do? I know you're mermaids.' and then bye?"

"A good poker player doesn't reveal his hand on the first turn. He waits. But don't you all worry. Your secret is safe with me." Zane stated cryptically, then he was out the door, leaving the three girls in shock in the house.

Mia sat back in her couch defeated. A tear began to form, and she rested her hands on her knees, wiping her eyes with her shoulder. "God damn it Zane. Why did he have to do this to us?"

"We have to go on living, Mia," Katy reassured her. "Sure, Zane knows about us. So what. He says we can trust him."

"Yeah. And I'm not a mermaid… Zane can't be trusted. He's up to something. I just don't know what," Mia replied.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. We HAVE to keep living normally, as if last night never happened. We avoid Zane at all costs," Sara spoke up. "We don't go near him. He can't hurt us if we don't let him."

Mia wiped her eyes a second time. "Ok. Team Mako sticks together," she joked, a slight smile on her face. "Besides, if Zane tries to do anything, I'll boil him alive."

The three of them exchanged a nervous laugh. After a tense night, it was good to loosen up for a moment, if only for a moment.

Zane's reveal was heavy on Sara's mind though. And as she went home from Katy's house, she went over it in her head again and again. _What does Zane want with us? He wouldn't hurt us for Mia's sake. She's family to him! But, what did he mean about not revealing his full hand? Is he gonna sell us out?_ She was no doubt distracted, and when she entered home, her parents called out to her. "Sara! How was your sleepover?" Her mother asked from the dining room.

"Fun!" Was Sara's response before trudging up to her room. She locked herself into her bathroom. She was tired, worried, and all she wanted was a bath. She filled it and got in. She felt oddly comfortable in her tail. It made her feel warm and relaxed to be in the water with it, even if it only was in the bath. She closed her eyes, ready to destress from the morning from waking up on Mako Island to Zane's reveal. Without realizing, she was fast asleep.

A loud knock on the bathroom door brought her back with a jolt, she splashed around, knocking water onto the ground around the tub before she became fully alert. "Sweetie? That nice neighbor boy, Farley Davis, is here so that you can work on your group project together. Will you be out soon?"

"In a minute mom! Just keep him busy for a minute! I'll be down soon." Sara replied. _Damn! I forgot that was today._ She struggled out of the tub. Using her powers, she dried herself off instantly. She brushed her hair, put on a small amount of makeup to be presentable, and changed her clothes to something more light. She almost felt nervous, like she was trying to seem cooler than she was. _Don't be stupid. It's only Farley._

She was down the steps and into the living as soon as she could. Farley was in the kitchen talking to her parents. They were all smiling and having a good time. They seemed to like him. "Hey!" she called out. Three sets of eyes turned to her.

"Ready to go?" Farley asked, smiling at her. Sara nodded, leading Farley up to her room where they were going to work on the project. They had worked together once already, but at the Cafe, and they only threw around a few ideas. Being that Sara was from America, it would be a piece of cake to come up with the information. Plus, she only had to talk about her life back home, and it would be enough to almost guarantee an "A".

Sara opened the door into her room, striding over to her desk and opening her laptop, ready to work on the project. Farley was slower behind her. He was admiring her seemingly lavish room before making his way over to Sara. "Admiring my room huh?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's really amazing and immaculate. You're lucky." Farley responded.

"My parents got it ready for me the two weeks they were setting up this house for us to live in. I like it. They did a really good job," She spoke. "Maybe they just wanted me to have a reason not to immediately hate living here."

"I'm guessing they chose the beautiful blue color to match your eyes," Farley stated with a touch of flirtation, trying to follow Blake's advice.

Sara flicked her eyes to Farley, staring into his own. Farley returned the eye contact, staring directly into her soul. Sara broke it after a few seconds. _Not now Farley. I've had a busy morning._ She reminded herself. "I was thinking something. The main information about the US like the government, demographics, states, and stuff like that could be given by you, while more anecdotal stories about life in America being given by me." She stated, trying to shift the conversation.

"That's a good idea. I can give the usual information, and then with your actual living in the US and actual experience, that will definitely get the class invested. We're sure to get a good grade!" Farley responded.

"Right. Excellent. This should be easy!" Sara smiled, and Farley smiled right back. They worked on their presentation for some time, preparing each of the slides with information, pictures, videos, and anything that would make their presentation seem more appealing. As much as Sara hated to admit it, she liked working with Farley. He was quite cheerful, and always liked to make jokes. Plus, the Australian accent, Sara had to admit, made him seem even more interesting, even after knowing him for almost a month.

Some time later, they had finished a section of the presentation, and they decided to break for the day. Sara was putting a few notebooks and folders in her bag for the next school day when Farley spoke up. "What are you doing Wednesday after school?"

"Not sure yet," Sara replied, "To be fair, it seems kinda soon to meet again for this project. It's getting near completion. And, we have plenty of time left before the deadline."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you on a date." Sara dropped the last two notebooks, sending them sprawling across the floor. Farley got up quickly, grabbing the two fallen notebooks and returning them to her.

Sara looked up into Farley's warm brown eyes staring into them for a second time. "You, want to go on a date. With me?" She asked, almost unbelieving.

"Of course. I wanted to take you on a picnic on a hill overlooking the beach. I found the perfect spot. So, Wednesday after school? We could meet at 4:30 pm at your house. I'll make the sandwiches, and we can walk from there." Farley put in.

Sara was almost at a loss for words. She always had a feeling in the back of her mind that Farley had a crush on her, but she never expected him to be so bold like this and ask her out. She had to admit, she liked his new confidence. "Uh… Yes. That sounds great! I'll see you then!" Sara exclaimed. Farley smiled, said goodbye, and left her house. Sara slumped back into her chair. She managed a smile. After all that had happened over the past twenty four hours, it was almost good to feel appreciated like that. She didn't know what to expect on her date with Farley, but all she had to do was go with the flow.

Farley had walked across the street and into his house with a straight look on his face. It was until he was safely inside his own living room that his elation hit. "YES!" he exclaimed aloud, fist pumping into the air. It had worked. All the work with Blake had paid off, and now he was going on a date with Sara, the American, the mermaid. He couldn't be more excited.

Farley went immediately to the Cafe. He found Zane working of course, counting inventory behind the counter and didn't notice when Farley entered. "Hey Zane!" Farley called to him. Zane shot up from behind the counter, a look of confusion upon his face.

"Hey Farley. How's it going?" Zane asked back.

"I met with Sara today to work on a group project."

"Oh? And?"

"She doesn't suspect a thing about what I know after last night."

"That's good to hear. They know that I know about them however. It'll be interesting to see what they think about that," Zane spoke, kinda shrugging along through the sentence.

"There's more. It worked Zane. Whatever stuff I've been doing with Blake. I asked Sara out on a date. She said yes!"

Zane smiled. "Good job Farley." he dropped his voice low, "Dating a mermaid. I'm not sure whether you're incredibly lucky, brave, or stupid. Only time will tell which of those is correct..." Zane seemed to trail off, seemingly lost in a sense of nostalgia. _Probably a combination of all three._ Farley chuckled to himself.

Sara raced toward Mako Island. She was meeting Mia and Katy there towards the evening, some time after Farley had asked her out. All three of them were feeling somewhat better after Zane's reveal, and it would be good to relax for a swim.

When Sara arrived, the other two girls were already waiting in the Moon Pool. "I made it!" she exclaimed.

"You know what they say, 'Better late than never!'" Mia snorted, joking with Sara.

"Well, you know what Mia? I have good news, considering what we've been through the past twenty four hours. So, it shouldn't matter that I'm late," Sara retorted.

"What is it?" Katy asked, getting excited.

"Well… Farley asked me out on a date today," Sara stated.

The other two girls beamed with excitement. "It's about time!" Katy exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked.

"Oh come on Sara. Anyone person with half a brain could easily tell he had a huge crush on you," Mia quipped. "I'm just surprised he actually had the guts to ask you out."

"I know right? Caught me off guard as well. But, I gotta give him credit. Whatever he's been doing with Blake has made him quite bold and confident."

"Hooray! Now is your chance to-" Katy began.

Sara immediately cut her off. "If you dare say that I can take him back to my Magic Mermaid Kingdom I will personally tie you to a tree here on Mako Island and leave you for the spiders." She joked.

"I will not continue my statement," Katy replied, holding back laughter.

Sara turned to Mia. "What about you? Have you decided about going on your date with Blake?"

Mia sighed. "I… think I'm going to take him up on the offer. It's only coffee. I don't see what could go wrong. At least this way, I'll be able to see what his excuse for leaving me behind all those years ago."

"That's great Mia! So, two of us have dates this week!" Sara exclaimed. The two of them immediately twisted, staring straight at Katy.

Katy backed away. She was going to visit Mitch that week again for yet another time, almost her fifth time in the few weeks. She couldn't help to admit she had a little crush on him. But, no way in hell would she ever admit or tell the girls that she and Mitch met any time. "Don't look at me! I don't have anything. Lucky for the two of you. You get to go on dates, and poor old Katy will just stay behind," Katy joked, trying to keep the mood light.

"Don't worry Katy. You have a great attitude on life," Sara reassured her. "You'll find a guy who you really like!"

Katy smiled at her friend's compliment. _Sara. Mia. Little do you know I've found a guy I'm falling for: The Tragic Hero who's misunderstood. But you can never know about it._

 **A/N: Now the story is really picking up steam! I must say, the next five or six chapters were fun to write, delving into the characters. Send a review if you loved it! :D**


	10. Chapter 10: Going on Dates

**Chapter 10: Going on Dates**

Wednesday. The day it all came to. Sara was going to go out with Farley. She was increasingly nervous all day, unable to focus. _What's wrong with me? It's only a date with Farley._ She reminded herself throughout her classes. _But still, why am I feeling so anxious for it?_ She wasn't the only dealing with that anxiety, as that day was the date of Mia's date with Blake. So, both girls were nervous that day.

The school day passed without too much problem, allowing Sara some relaxation, only to bring out the anxiety again as soon as the final bell rang. She, alongside Mia, walked out of the last class, nervously chatting about any topic they could think of. Sara could tell that Mia was just as nervous about her date with Blake. Katy left them. She had made an excuse before they left the school grounds that she had to meet with a teacher. Sara guessed she was lying and just didn't want to hear about both Sara and Mia going on dates possibly out of jealousy, so Sara didn't blame her or push the envelope.

Soon, Mia split off from Sara, heading to her date with Blake at a coffee house away from the school, leaving Sara alone with her thoughts as she continued home. She didn't see Farley at all on the walk home. _Trying to avoid doing or saying something awkward before the date. Smart plan._ She chuckled to herself.

At home, she scoured over her closet, unsure of the right thing to wear. She usually went in athletic clothes or dressed casually to school. But this was a date. What was right to wear on a date in Australia? She scowled at her clothes for a while, attempting to find a solution, before she settled on a nice floral sun dress she had picked out with Mia and Katy one day while out shopping. She hadn't bothered to wear it until then, but this seemed as good a time as any. She touched up her makeup as well, adding a bit more to it than usual.

When she was done, she checked her watch. 3:45 shown up at her. It would be forty five minutes until Farley came and got her. All she had to do was wait.

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Farley was having equally trouble with anxiety. He had made their sandwiches relatively quickly. He threw in some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hoping that Sara would like his attention to detail on her American life. Or, maybe she would think it was cliche and stereotypical? Farley just tossed in some regular ham and turkey sandwiches as well. He put in some potato chips also, hoping she would like that along with some fresh fruit. When he was done, the clock was nowhere near time. So, he paced back and forth, waiting for time to pass.

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Katy knew she was lying to Mia and Sara when she told them about meeting a teacher, and she had a guess they both thought that as well. Even so, they wouldn't expect what she would do next. She waited on the school grounds for fifteen minutes, killing time. Then, she took off. She memorized the way to Mitch's boat shed, and it was relatively easy to find if you knew the path. She made it there in just over ten minutes.

She knocked on the door. Mitch opened the door instantly, his jet black hair slicked back. He was so much taller than Katy, but she didn't mind. He smiled at he when he saw her. "You made it," he stated. "Please come in!" Katy smiled, and followed him into the boat shed.

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Mia was skeptical about her "date" with Blake. She didn't really feel that it was a date, no matter how much Sara or Katy teased her about it. It was just her and a boy getting coffee. Nothing more complicated than that right? But, there was a problem. Ever since she had left Sara and continued on her way toward the coffee house at which she was meeting Blake, she had to fight the incoming nostalgia from elementary school of all the fun times they had. Playing sports in the yard, going to the beach with their parents, and even her first kiss. Well, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but still, it felt real to Mia, and that's what she was dreading.

She didn't want to admit she missed Blake. She had built up her walls over many years in case he ever came back to her. Now that he had, her walls were already starting to crumble. She just had to keep her defenses up for one day, and then she could go back to hating him. That was, until she entered the coffee shop and saw him sitting in a booth, staring away from her. He had a dark, and brooding look about him, a different expression from what he usually looked like. She gulped and started toward Blake, sliding into the booth across from him. He looked toward her and smiled. "Mia. I'm so glad you came here today," he stated enthusiastically. Mia managed a half-smile back. _Now, time for some answers from you Blake._

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At 4:30 on the button, Farley knocked on the Meyer's household door, holding the picnic basket and blanket in one hand. Sara heard it even up in her room. She raced downstairs in a jiffy, pushing her hair into place, steadying herself. Then, she opened the door.

Farley was dressed cleanly, in a nice polo shirt and tan shorts. It began to show the slight muscle growth on his upper body. His eyes grew wide as he saw her in the floral dress. "You look amazing," he complimented her. "I've never seen you in a sundress like that, but it suits you." Sara smiled at his compliment. Farley turned, offering his free arm to her. "Shall we?" he smiled.

"We shall," Sara replied as she took his arm, and they were off on their date.

Soon, they were at Farley's chosen spot. It was in a more secluded spot on top of a rise overlooking a smaller beach, the ocean laid out in front of them. Farley shook out the blanket, laying it's full area out cleanly. Sara sat onto the blanket, folding her legs behind her. She stared out over the ocean, taking in its great beauty. "Would you like a sandwich?" Farley asked, sitting down and placing the basket between the two of them.

"Yes please! I'm very hungry," Sara spoke.

Farley opened up the basket toward her. "Now I have some of the usuals like turkey and ham. But, I hope it's not cliche since you're an American, but I did make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

Sara immediately plunged her hand into the basket, pulling out one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, holding it up to show Farley. "Even though it's cliche and stereotypical, I do love a good PB and J." She smiled. "Although…" Sara slammed her hand back into the basket, grabbing some potato chips and putting them into the sandwich as well. "I used to do this all the time when I was a kid. I loved putting chips into my PB and J." She chowed into the sandwich. "Where did you find the peanut butter? I didn't think they sold it much outside of the US?"

"There's a special American section at the supermarket. Most of the stuff is stereotypical I will admit, but if those sandwiches make you happy, I'm all for it," Farley replied.

Sara smiled at him, turning back and staring at the ocean. _I wonder where Mako Island is from here. I don't see it. NO, focus on the date with Farley not Mako._ Farley stared at her eyes scouring over the ocean. "Sara, since you've been here in Australia for over month, what do you think of the ocean?"

Farley wondered what her answer would be. He knew she loved the ocean of course. She was a mermaid after all! He wouldn't blame her if she lied to him, but he was just curious what she would say. He scrutinized her after his question, hoping to see a kind of give away on her face. But, nothing happened. Farley scowled softly for a moment, before returning his facial expression to a neutral. Sara began. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It's almost scary because it's so unknown. You never know what could be just under the surface."

Farley nodded following her gaze out over the ocean. _Like mermaids?_ He pondered to himself. "What do you miss most about Gibbon and the rest of America?" he asked.

Sara sighed. "Mostly being able to drive." They both chuckled. "But, in all seriousness, I do miss my friend Jenny. We were best friends for years. But, when you're from a small town like me, you need a best friend, and she was that for me. But… She was unwilling to try new experiences. And, although it sucks to leave her back in Gibbon, I would say Katy, Mia, and I are closer than I was with her." Sara paused for a second. "You mentioned something before about your parents' divorce before? Do you want to talk about it? Or…?"

"I just… It's still some family stuff. I don't really want to go too much in depth into it. My parents just decided to go their separate ways."

"Ok. You don't have to," Sara replied.

Farley was happy to be there with her, and together they continued to watch the ocean waves come crashing in. "Thank you for understanding," Hestated, squeezing her hand softly in his hand. Sara's heart fluttered at the contact, feeling the connection between the two of them.

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"How was your day Mitch? Still acting the part of the dickwad?" Katy joked playfully. She was sitting down on his couch, while Mitch was up at the refrigerator grabbing a couple fizzy drinks for the two of them. Katy made sure to ask for a straw. She didn't want to get any of the liquid onto herself at all. Having her tail appear now would be awful.

Mitch just chuckled. He didn't take too much offense to it. He was the one living the double life after all. He got the drinks ready and sat down next to Katy on the couch, placing the two drinks on the small table half a meter off the ground next to the couch. "Oh you know me. Biggest arse hole of the world right here! I should get an award for it." He joked back.

"In all seriousness, will you ever give in and just be your normal self in school?" Katy asked. "Sure, I know about the real you. But what about your rugby friends? What about Marian? Will they ever find out about who you actually are?"

Mitch just sighed, hanging his head. "I don't know. Right now I'm trying to maintain the status quo. Like I said, I want to finish high school first. I don't want anyone at school catching on to my position here, that I live in such shite. They'd either give me an insane amount of pity which I couldn't take. Or, they'd blatantly use it against me. No. Better to keep it unknown like this for the time being."

"But why do that? You won't ever be truly happy being so fake all the time. I can see the real you Mitch. And that Mitch is wonderful, thoughtful, and kind," Katy shut her mouth quickly afterward. She had said too much. Mitch would catch on that she was crushing hard core on him.

"Thank you for seeing that in me Katy," Mitch stood up suddenly and began pacing back and forth. "I… I just don't know about telling people about my situation. Most of my rugby teammates would understand. They would be ok, although some would laugh and think I was pitiful like I said. As for Marian? She'd dump me in a second if she knew about it. I'm not the rich and shallow boyfriend she'd want."

"Then why not just dump her already? You're so much better than her!" Katy exclaimed, standing up as well, standing at the opposite side of the large table from Mitch. "You deserve much more than that."

"It's much more complicated than that, although I regret to admit. There's only one person I can think of who would see me as I am now and treat me with wonder and be on my side. To treat me as… I guess a tragic hero of some sort. Their happy-go-lucky attitude always makes me smile. They're the one I really want," Mitch explained, a slight quiver of hope in his voice.

"Well who is it? Come on Mitch, spill it!" Katy spoke up. _Who in the hell would understand Mitch more than me? I've been nothing but understanding to him!_

"Katy. It's you."

"Oh." Was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

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Mia stared across at Blake. They had gotten coffee and sat back down at the same table. Blake seemed only interested in small talk, but Mia had waited on this moment for years. Finally she'd be able to see what the hell was going on in that brain of his. Blake took a slow sip of his coffee. "Ok Blake. We have coffee. You said you wanted to talk. Let's talk. Why have you not been in contact with me for years and now all of a sudden want to get coffee? What's your angle? And why back with me? Don't you have some other hot girl who's yearning for your attention?"

Blake took another sip of his coffee. "I can only answer one question at a time," he spoke, calm and collected. "Which question would you have me do first?"

Mia was furious at Blake's calm demeanor. He was always so peaceful. There was nothing wrong with him at all. Oh no. He was Mr. Perfect. "Ok. Blake, fine. We were good friends when we were kids. What changed as we got older?"

"Well, when we went to Middle School, I started doing sports at the time. I got really good at them, rugby especially. Then, I had made other friends on me team, and when I got good at rugby, I started to get more popular. I didn't want to leave you behind, but I got caught up in all of it. By the time it was too late, I was already too far in, you had become best friends with Katy, and it was too late to take it all back."

"So that's your excuse? It was all just a big mistake?"

"I never meant to hurt you Mia. I would take it all back if I could. Popularity isn't as great as people always assumes it is."

"Oh I'm sure it's terrible being well-liked by everyone. Yeah who in a million years would ever want that?" Mia snapped sarcastically

"People only care about you because you're popular. Not because of who you are. It just took me too long to realize that." Blake took another sip of his coffee. Mia studied his face while he was looking at his cup. There was something… melancholic about it. It was the first time she had seen him show negative emotions. He was always a person who was happy all the time, like Katy, while adding in a touch of arrogance disguised as altruism.

"So, what made you realize that you wanted to ask me for coffee after all this time?" Mia asked, almost softening her anger.

"About, four weeks ago, I went on a date with this girl. She was nice, cute, and funny," Blake began. Mia just rolled her eyes. "I could tell something was off about the date. She kept sneaking texts under the table, acting like I wouldn't notice. When I confronted her about it, she said 'I'm just making all my friends jealous that I'm on date with Blake Everton.' I felt disheartened. She only cared about me for the position it gave her among her friend group. Who I was as a person didn't matter."

"She actually said that? She seems like a bitch," Mia joked.

Blake smiled. "Yeah. She was. And she was the final straw. As I lay in bed that night I began to think about my life choices and what being popular meant. I didn't have an answer. Then, a few days later, Farley asked me about helping him with Sara. Over those next weeks, I began to admire his courage, tenacity, and hard work."

"Let me guess, you figured out that you're gay and attracted to Farley?"

"What? No that's not it. It's that… Well... I taught Farley about being confident, working out, and things like that. But, Farley taught me what it meant to be caring, gracious, and tenacious. I gave him the courage to ask Sara out. And, he gave me the courage to reach out to you again."

"So that's it, you've learned your lesson? All is well in the universe?"

"Mia, I'm done being the, what you said, 'popular pompous arse clown.' I never liked me around those popular people. It just took me till now to see it. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just wanted you to understand." Blake got up, tossing his coffee into the bin and headed toward the door.

Mia felt slight pain for Blake. She began to feel her feelings want him. She kept most of them at bay, but in that moment she wanted to give Blake a second chance. "Wait!" she exclaimed, scampering out of her chair. Blake stopped at the door to look back at her. "I may be crazy. But, I want to continue this date."

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Sara continued staring out over the ocean. She and Farley had finished their sandwiches, and so they stared over the horizon. Sara felt weird in the silence. Usually, silence on the first date was a bad thing. But, Sara felt oddly comfortable their next to Farley in the quiet and stillness. Farley spoke up after a moment, "Since coming here, what is the most fond memory so far in Gold Coast? I know it's only been a month, but there must something that sticks out."

Sara pondered for a moment. _Well, besides mermaid stuff I'm not sure. That wins out over anything._ "The moment I met Mia and Katy I think," she finally spoke. "When I became friends with them, I immediately felt that moving here from America wasn't going to be so bad. I felt like I didn't have to worry as much about fitting in and making friends. Now we're really close and I love it."

"That's beautiful for you. People miss out on having good friendships and relationships. It pains me. It's great that you have friends like them."

"Like you are with Blake too?"

"I mean… I wouldn't say we're friends. But we are very good acquaintances." Sara raised an eyebrow at Farley. "Ok fine, I'm friends with him, to my own surprise."

Sara got bold and asked, "Why did you start doing the early morning workouts with him? You've changed into something completely different with him, not that that's a bad thing at all. It's actually pretty great. But still, what made you want to work so hard and actually listen to his advice? What's your plan with that?"

Sara watched Farley's face change into a thoughtful scowl. It had a deep brooding, yet thoughtfulness about it. Farley turned to her, staring directly into her eyes, refusing to make eye contact.

"So that one day I could be able to do this." And Farley leaned forward unexpectedly, and kissed Sara directly on the lips. Sara's heart took off, racing away as she tried to get her mind about what was happening. She just couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to pull away. He tasted sweet, and his lips were tender. So, Sara gave in to the kiss, and pulled Farley into her.

The kiss lasted a full minute, before Farley broke it away. He continued staring into her eyes. He stroked her cheek, a smile on his face. He leaned away, landing back to where he was sitting a minute ago. Sara sat there in shock. Her heart rate continued racing. She had never expected Farley to be that bold. But, she absolutely loved it, and she had to admit she was falling for him hardcore.

For as fast as Sara's heart was racing, Farley's heart was beating eight times as fast as he sat back down. _Holy shit! I did it! I actually did it! OH MY GOD!_ He screamed into his own head. He had done it. Ever since he saw her on Mako Island he wanted to kiss her like that. Who knew it was now a reality.

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Katy stared in shock at Mitch. He had just dropped the bomb on her, and the room fell silent after she only mustered up "Oh" as a response. Mitch paced back and forth across from her. "I'm sorry to drop it on you like this. I just didn't want to live that lie without telling you how I feel. You must think I'm an idiot for admitting it." Mitch spoke.

"N-no! I just... It's a lot to take in Mitch." Katy approached him. "Are you saying… that… well you have a…"

"Yes Katy. I have a crush on you if that's what you want to call it. It's true. It's all true." Mitch turned away.

"What about Marian? You're dating her still."

"Screw Marian. She doesn't care about me, and she never will."

Katy walked up and tapped Mitch on the shoulder, he turned around swiftly. Katy looked up at him with her glistening green eyes. "You're right Mitch. I do view you as a tragic hero. But, a hero nonetheless." Katy stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I… I really like you as well… Even before I learned about you. I was enamored by your bad boy attitude. But, I like the real you even more."

Mitch's eyes twinkled. He placed a hand against Katy's face. Katy knew what was gonna happen almost immediately and her heart fluttered. Mitch leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. It was a beautiful moment, and Katy only hoped it would last. But alas, Mitch broke away, a spark of rebellion in his eyes. "I want to date you," Katy blurted out when he released.

Mitch sighed, twisting away. "Katy, I'm still dating Marian. I have to break up with her first. But… I still want to date you too…"

"Then let's be together in secret! At least until you break up with Marian."

Mitch smiled. "Look who's being the rebel now. But… I'm working to stop being that person. I don't want to go behind people's backs."

"Just as no one knows who you really are?" Katy questioned. "Face it Mitch. You like me. I like you. Don't complicate things too much. Just be with me and break up with Marian."

"Ok. I'll do what I can," Mitch replied, pulling Katy into a big hug.

Katy couldn't help but agree. And as she left his boat shed that day, she leaped into the air, ecstatic with the excitement to come.

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Mia and Blake had walked toward Rikki's Cafe, ending their walk outside of it and staring out over the marina. "So there you go Mia." Blake explained, "I'm not the man I used to be. I hate popularity just as much as you do, maybe even more so."

"I'm conflicted. I'm remembering all the fun times we had together when we were kids, but I'm also remembering that you left me all those years ago." Mia replied. "I don't know what I should think about that."

"We don't have to remember though. We can look forward toward the future. Yes, I cannot change the past. No one can. You can only look to the future with a hunger for making your life better."

"Is that some stupid motivation you're corrupting Farley with?" Mia joked.

Blake chuckled. "Maybe a little bit. It was important to give him something to strive for Even so, he reminded me what it was like to work for something… He reminded me of ambition of fortitude."

"And so, here you are with me. Wanting to win me back so to speak," Mia stated flatly.

"I never wanted to 'win you back' or anything like that. I wanted to have a new chance with you. I want to forge a new future, barring the sins of the past."

"I am still here with you right now, so I guess you have improved somewhat I will admit." Mia spoke. "Don't get too excited yet though."

"I do miss this Mia. I wish we had a more of a chance before we split apart." Blake reached out and grabbed her hands. Mia wanted to pull back, but something about Blake just made her want to stay there.

"I wish we did too. But, like you said, we cannot change the past."

"Then let us decide the future." Blake leaned in toward her, trying to kiss her.

Mia pulled away, breaking out of Blake's grip. "I-I'm sorry Blake. I can't right now. If… we are going to talk again, we need to take this slow."

Blake's eyes dropped in shame. "I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have done that," he stammered, somewhat humiliated.

"Blake. Right now, you've inspired me to give you a second chance. I want to start talking to you again. But, don't push it too much. If you're willing to be humble, than I will give you a second chance."

"I'm willing to work for it." Blake stated.

"That's good to hear. Goodbye for now Blake." And, Mia turned tail and fled. She would've loved to kiss Blake right then and there, but it would've been too much, too forgiving, and too soon. She was gonna make him work for her. If he still wanted her after that, she would open her heart to him. But only if he was willing to give effort.

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Some time later, the three girls were lying on their backs in the Moon Pool. They all had a busy day, and it was good to relax and recharge on Mako. Sara felt comfortable to be in her tail again. Her kiss with Farley made her giddy, and she couldn't wait to talk about it. Katy got up first. "Alright you two. Talk. How did your dates go? What happened? Spill it"

Sara spoke up first. "Farley kissed me!" she blurted out suddenly.

"Wow. Never expected that from him honestly. Well done for him," Mia joked. "So what's next with you two?"

"I-I don't know. We didn't really talk about it. I want to keep seeing him. But, we'll just take it as it goes I guess."

"I'm so happy for you Sara!" Katy exclaimed.

Sara turned to Mia. "Ok. You next. What happened with you and Blake?"

"I've forgiven him. And we've decided to take things slow. Nothing else happened. But there's something there at least."

"That's a pretty good start," Sara concluded.

"I think so too. But, it'll take some time though. Either way, I'll be ready for it."

"Now if only I can get a boy," Katy joked nervously, trying to throw off any suspicion about her and Mitch.

"Don't worry Katy, you'll find someone eventually!" Sara reassured her.

The three girls laughed to themselves. They were happy in the turmoil that was that evening, they had each other to talk to. It made them feel grounded, despite the fact they were floating in water as mermaids.

The turmoil wouldn't be over. Unbeknownst to Sara, Mia, and Katy, three figures swam swiftly through the ocean waters from the mainland. They were heading straight for Mako.

"It was my first kiss too!" Sara beamed to the other two. "It was different than I imagined it to be. Well, I never expected it to be with an Australian guy first of all."

"See? Everything is going so much better here in Gold Coast!" Katy added, grinning.

Suddenly, Sara felt a disturbance in the water. Something was coming through the cave toward the Moon Pool. She looked at Mia and Katy. They felt it too. The three of them looked at each other in utter fear. Something was coming in.

Sara, Mia, and Katy yelped simultaneously as out of the center of the pool, three women, a few years older than them emerged, staring straight at the three of them. Sara looked down only to see that the three women each had a tail. They were mermaids. _Who are they…_

The woman in front looked directly at each of them. She had an air of confidence about her. The sight of Sara, Mia, and Katy didn't seem to affect her. She spoke up with conviction. "Nice tails. Looks like we need to have a little chat."

 **I'm continuing to write the story, and I am several chapters ahead. So, you don't have to worry about ever running out of chapters to read for some time. So, keep on reading!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Other Mermaids

**So, I didn't want to leave you on a cliffhanger. That's why I'm releasing this chapter much sooner than expected. So, here we go!**

 **Chapter 11: The Other Mermaids**

Sara stared at the three mermaids floating in front of them in the Moon Pool. The head one had dark brown hair and olive skin. She seemed gentle, yet powerful. The one to her left had golden blond hair, a little bit darker than Sara with tan skin and gleaming blue eyes. On the opposite side was a pale girl with platinum blond hair who seemed quite fiery and confident.

Mia was staring right at her, fear and confusion in her eyes. "Y-you… You're Rikki Chadwick… You're dating my cousin. But… You're a mermaid. You're all mermaids…" Mia stammered, barely making it through the sentence in her shock.

Rikki smirked. "And the winner of this round goes to Mia Hobbs for her correct answers," she quipped sarcastically. "Congratulations! You are the gracious recipient of the Captain Obvious award."

"Oh come on Rikki, be nice to Zane's cousin," the brown haired one snapped.

"What Cleo? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make a joke here. Any problem with that?" Rikki spat back.

"W-who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you… mermaids?" Sara fired all at once.

"My name is Cleo, this is Rikki and Bella. This is our home." Cleo spoke. She seemed confident and unnerving.

"Your home?" Katy asked, breaking out of her shock.

"You must realize by now that you three aren't the first girls to fall into the Moon Pool on a full moon. It was Rikki and I four years ago who fell into this pool and became mermaids. We met Bella here two years later after she fell into similar moon pool in Ireland." Cleo spoke.

"What do you want from us?" Sara spoke up, feeling courageous.

"We want to find out how you became mermaids, what you've been up to since then. As well we want to guide you on how to best use your abilities." Bella answered. "Since we all share the same secret, we want to make sure that you all go down the right path."

"Well I'm pretty sure it's obvious how we became mermaids," Mia spat.

"Ah yes and didn't Zane tell you to avoid Mako Island that night yet you completely disobeyed him?" Rikki shot back.

"Thanks Mum! And, oh yeah sure how was I supposed to know coming here would turn us into mermaids? Zane never said why to avoid it so how were we supposed to know?" Mia defended. "From what he told me you had a rebellious streak as well. So don't put all this shit on us."

"Girls please. Can we please make peace and work together," Cleo pleaded. "Does anyone else know about your secret besides us and Zane?"

"No. No way," Sara denied, "We've been extremely careful. Absolutely no one else knows about our secret."

"Good. But you've only been mermaids for a month, there may be a lot more problems that develop," Bella added.

"How do you know it's been that short?" Katy asked.

"Zane's figured out a lot more than you might give him credit for," Rikki put in. "Good thing we can trust him."

"Trust? Ha! I doubt that," Mia snided.

"Give Zane a fighting chance, he's actually not that bad," Rikki added.

"Ok. Sara, Mia, Katy, if you could give us a total recap over the last month. Like how you got your tails, how you've done avoiding water, that kinda thing. That'll give us more information on how it's been for you." Cleo spoke.

"I don't think we're gonna do that," Sara challenged. "We don't know anything about you and now you just want to delve into our pasts? I'm sorry if you don't see how I'm a bit hesitant."

"We only want to help you. But, we need more information," Cleo put in.

"You all figured it out on your own! Why can't we?" Mia questioned, frustrated.

"Because we had to. And, we got lucky. A lot," Bella responded. "We want to help you to make it easier on all of you. And since it could compromise us as well if one of you accidentally gets exposed, we need to make sure you can handle yourselves."

"I agree with Mia." Sara stood firm. "We're doing fine on our own."

Rikki sighed. "Look, I get it. Four years ago I was in your shoes a well. Like you said, I was rebellious. I wanted to be on my own as well, think for myself. But, I learned that you have to be willing to accept help when it's offered."

"How about a compromise?" Katy spoke up. All eyes turned to her. "Look. We're all a bit tense and angry right now. We thought we were the only mermaids until this moment. How about you give us a day or two to decide what we want? Let Sara, Mia, and I go over it ourselves and make a decision on our own."

The others all seemed an agreement. "Ok. A few days to decide. Just so you know we're only going to be here for a few months. Then, we go back to California for University. Just to consider." Cleo stated. "If you ever need us, come to Rikki's Cafe. We can meet there."

And with that, Cleo, Rikki, and Bella slid underwater, flying away from the Moon Pool. Silence deafened for the remaining girls. Nobody wanted to speak. That day had been arduous for the three of them, and there were so many questions left unanswered. "What do we do now?" Katy asked.

"Screw those three. And screw Zane especially. He ratted us out to those girls, and now we're put in this awkward position. God I hate him," Mia fumed.

"Mia. This was he meant by him waiting to play his hand. He knew his girlfriend and her friends were mermaids, and he wanted them to help us." Sara explained. "This is his way of helping out."

"Mia, we've only been this way for a month. We barely know what we're doing here. We need help. I know you're trying to put on this tough girl persona, but we do need some assistance." Katy added in.

"Ok fine. I'll think about it." Mia gave in. "But, let's at least sleep on it tonight. It's getting late, we've had a busy day, and I don't want to make any big decisions right now."

"Agreed. Let's all meet up after school tomorrow and decide fully whether we want to go through with this," Sara affirmed.

"Well, looks like we're not the only ones on 'Team Mako' anymore," Katy joked, trying to lighten the mood. It wasn't very helpful. Sara, Mia, and Katy went underwater and left the Moon Pool, going back home to rest.

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After leaving Mako, Sara ended up back at home, walking into the front door, viciously tired. From school, to her date with Farley, and now the reveal that they weren't the only mermaids, she was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was go to bed, despite it only being close to 8:00 pm.

Her father was sitting on the couch watching some TV when she entered. "Sara! How are you?" he asked, getting up and embracing her in a hug.

"I'm fine Dad. Just don't crush me please," she joked half-heartedly.

Paul released her. "Please come sit down. Let's have a talk," he spoke, walking back over to the couch and taking a seat.

"Dadddd….. Do I have to?" Sara complained.

"Come on Sara. What kind of father would I be if I didn't ask my daughter about the boy she went on a date with?"

"A father that knows to respect her daughter's privacy?"

"I wish it were that way. Come sit. I promise I won't ask too many questions that go into too much detail." Paul patted a spot next to him on the couch for her to sit down. Sara just rolled her eyes and slowly strolled over to that place and taking a seat.

"Where's mom?" Sara asked innocently.

"She's on an errand. And don't change the subject. Now, I do know his name is Farley. You have a project you're working on with him yes? I briefly met him one time before. What's his backstory?"

"Ugh… Do I have to answer?"

"This was your first real date Sara. A big moment for you and a scary moment for me as your father. You were never really interested in boys back home in Gibbon."

"That's because a lot of them were hillbilly hicks, and that was never something I was interested in. Farley's Australian. That makes him much more special and interesting." Sara explained.

"Oh... I see. Do you like him?"

"I guess so…" Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, I kinda like him. I want to maybe actually date him. Happy now?"

"Welllll….. Yes and no. Happy for you absolutely. Now that just makes me worried about my daughter growing up."

Sara reached over and hugged her father. "I'll still be your little princess." Sara released the hug. "Good talk Dad. I'm going to go take a bath now." And she was upstairs before Paul could react either way.

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The next day, life seemed to continue as normal. Sara went to class, trying to ignore the thoughts of the other mermaids. She met up with Farley during lunch, and they ate together by the same tree as usual. Sara noticed that they were closer together than usual sitting on the bench. She gave a half-smile when she made note about how their feelings had changed for each other.

After her final class, she walked out with Mia and Katy such as all days. They both seemed in a more cheery mood than when they all left the night before. "Another day in the books!" Sara joked to the two of them. "If there's one thing I've learned, high school is just as boring here as it is back home."

"I'm pretty sure that's the same with every country ever. It's a requirement for high school to be boring." Mia joked back.

Sara looked out over to her left. She noticed Farley and Blake talking next to the tree that she sat with Farley at lunch for. Farley caught her eye, smiling at her and blowing a kiss. Sara immediately smiled as well, growing red. Her heart fluttered once. "So are you and Farley like officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Katy blurted out in a whisper.

"What, no! I mean not yet." Sara sputtered.

"Sara, you're blushing!" Mia exclaimed. Sara tried to cover her face as best as possible to no avail. "Come on spill. What did you two talk about? I know you both eat lunch together."

"We are still working on it. Nothing is decided yet. We both really like each other, but like I don't know. Nothing is official yet." Sara tried to explain.

"Oh just be a couple already. It's obvious how much he wants it, and it's easy to see the same in you, despite your attempts to hide it!" Katy put forth.

"In more pressing matters, we need to talk about the new… mermaids… that have shown up here," Sara said, trying to take the subject away from her and Farley.

"I see you trying to change the subject Sara…" Mia quipped, "But I do agree, we need to talk about our plan with this."

"Finally calmed down from last night?" Katy asked.

"Er… Enough. I still don't like it. But, unfortunately, they're right. We have no idea what we're doing, mostly, and they've been mermaids for years. It could be useful to hear what they have to say," Mia explained, humbling herself.

"Ok. So we go to the Cafe now, talk with them, see what they have to say. I just hate having to share Mako Island with them. But, then again, they were here first," Sara remarked.

"Agreed," Katy and Mia replied.

It could be said Sara was very nervous as they approached Rikki's Cafe. She didn't know what to expect. The past week had been very strange, from the full moon, to her date with Farley, and now they were meeting other mermaids who've been that way for years. It was a lot for her to take in.

They entered into the Cafe, all on edge. Nothing seemed out of place, and Zane wasn't working the counter. Sara, Mia, and Katy took a seat at a booth out of the way. They didn't want to attract any attention yet. "Where are they?" Mia whispered. "They were supposed to be here. This is getting bizarre."

"They said to find them here. I guess we just wait until they show up." Sara added.

"And what, wait all evening?" Mia remarked sarcastically. Then, out of the office came Zane in a fluster. He immediately saw the three girls sitting down. He beckoned them back to his office with a sense of urgency. Sara shrugged, and the three of them stood up and followed Zane back to the office.

In the office were Cleo, Bella, and Rikki, standing quite nonchalantly. Zane sat down at his desk staring outwardly. Behind the older mermaids stood two men, arms crossed. Both were blond, with the one on the right being much taller as well as more tan and athletic. Sara's heart immediately began to pound. She didn't know who the two men were, and they were almost intimidating.

Cleo stepped up first once the office door was closed. "So, have you girls thought about our offer?"

"We have," Mia spoke up. "We think… it's a good idea to get some advice from you."

"Smart move. We want to give you experiences and assistance, basically what information we wish we had when we were in your shoes," Rikki added.

"Ok before we go on," Sara interrupted. "Who the hell are these two guys?" Why are they here?" She motioned to the two blond men standing behind.

The shorter one stepped forward. "I'm Lewis McCartney. I'm just your average mermaid scientist." He shook Sara, Mia, and Katy's hands each in succession.

"You're a… mermaid scientist?" Mia asked, quite confused.

"Well kind of. I've done a whole bunch of research on the other three girls over the years as well as Mako Island to understand the extent of mermaid powers." Lewis explained. "I'm also dating Cleo, hence my involvement."

"And who's the other bloke?" Katy asked.

The taller blond man stepped forward. "I'm Will Benjamin. And I am not a mermaid scientist," he joked, shaking their hands as well.

"Oh, and what do you do then?" Sara expressed sarcastically.

"He's my boyfriend," Bella spoke up, "And he's trustworthy."

"Good for him then," Mia said, "Great that we can trust our secret to the trustworthy boyfriends."

"Everyone in this room has proven that they can keep this secret. That's why they are allowed in here. Believe me, they can be trusted," Cleo remarked.

"Ok whatever. Back to it, what do you want from us?" Sara asked, honestly annoyed.

"First off, I'm guessing you all have powers. Which powers do each of you have?" Cleo responded.

"It's actually quite interesting on how powers somehow reflect personality. I'd like to see if that holds up with you three. It'd be good for my research even if…" Lewis began to ramble. Cleo shot him a death look, and he promptly closed his mouth and went quiet.

"I can control water," Sara spoke up. "Mia can boil it and Katy can freeze it. That's about all we know right now. As well Mia and I can use our powers to dry ourselves off quickly."

"How do you do that? Mia I understand, she can steam the water directly off of her, but what about you?" Lewis asked, increasingly interested.

"I just collect all the water on me at a single point, then pull it off me all at once. Almost instantaneous," Sara explained.

"You already learned how to do that?" Cleo asked in disbelief. "It took me a few years before I learned how to do that trick."

"Maybe we should be the ones teaching you then," Sara joked.

Over the next half hour, the group went back and forth asking Sara, Mia, and Katy about their time as mermaids, such as how they got to Mako, what they discovered on their own, and how they've lived since they became mermaids. Sara was slightly disgruntled about the questioning, but Cleo, Rikki, and Bella didn't get too much into their personal life if it didn't have to deal with being mermaids. So, at least that was something. Lewis added some scientific context whenever necessary, almost giddy about his research.

"What's next?" Katy asked when the three of them had finished their story.

"Live your lives as normal as you can," Cleo stated. "You've done decently well so far, almost surprisingly so."

"If you ever need help with anything, make sure to text us. We want to give you any assistance we can," Bella added.

"I think we can handle it, but even so, thank you," Mia told them flatly, trying to be more courteous.

"We'll keep in touch," Rikki spoke. "Just don't be surprised if you see us on Mako every now and then. It's our home as well, mind you."

"It's gonna get crowded with all of us in the Moon Pool," Sara joked. She alongside Mia and Katy said their goodbyes, leaving Zane's office and back into the main room at Rikki's Cafe. "They're an odd bunch," She stated to Mia and Katy when they were out of hearing range.

"Are we so different? We can relate to them with the whole tail thing. I don't know. I like them, especially since they want to be there for us," Katy spoke.

"Mostly they just want to help us for their own purposes. They want to make sure we don't lose our secret because that'll certainly affect them," Mia added.

"Well, I certainly am gonna try and live my life without worrying about them," Sara responded. She turned forward and exited the Cafe.

She slammed directly into Farley and Blake coming in from the opposite direction. "Oh… H-hey! How's it going guys?" She asked awkwardly. _God damn it Sara! Get it together!_

"Pretty good," Farley responded, smiling at Sara. "Blake and I just got done with a run, and now we're gonna get some juice for a cool down."

"That's great! You've been really getting into this fitness thing. It suits you."

"Thank you Sara. It's perfect to hear that from you." They both made eye contact. Sara loved the gentleness in his soft brown eyes.

Their moment of bliss was interrupted when Blake clasped Farley's shoulder. "Hey I'm gonna go get a juice. I'll give you some time." Blake told him, and he went inside, gesturing to Mia and Katy to join him, giving Farley and Sara some space.

Farley and Sara walked away from the Cafe, meandering along the edge of the harbor. "So what's new with you?" he asked.

"Since lunch? Not much really. Just hanging out with Katy and Mia as per usual." Sara fell silent for a moment. "Ok, so really I think we should talk."

"Oh… Is it, like the date yesterday was fun but you don't see it going anywhere?" Farley seemed genuinely upset when he spoke. "Damn. I thought it went well, but if it's not something you want…"

"No no no no! It's nothing like that!" Sara stammered through, "I… That's the thing. I loved the date as well."

"Then what's troubling you?"

"So many things have been happening since I arrived in Australia. Good things yes, but I've been here barely over a month and there's so much that has been going on. It's almost crazy."

"That's the beauty of it. Take the chances that come to you and don't give them up!"

Sara laughed. "Now, you're beginning to sound like Blake a bit."

"Unfortunate side effect of his friendship." They both smiled at each other. Sara turned, staring out over the harbor. It was beautiful, so much more than what she experienced in Gibbon. All that had happened to her, she wouldn't take it back for the world. Farley, slipped his hand into hers, enjoying the moment together. Sara loved the feeling being next to him.

"Ok. You know what," Sara spoke, turning to Farley. "I really do want to go out with you. Be officially your girlfriend. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let this opportunity pass me up."

"Then, I would be happy to date you," Farley replied. He reached down, bringing his lips to hers. Sara could barely contain her excitement. She now had an Australian boyfriend, and she couldn't be happier.

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Some time later, Sara swam towards the moon pool. She had a bit of time after supper before the sun went down, and she wanted to meet Mia and Katy at Mako, hopefully in the absence of the other mermaids. She surfaced, already seeing the two others waiting for her in the Moon Pool, leaning against the rocks. "Hey friends! How's it going?" She asked cheerfully when she approached the two of them, bright smile on her face.

"Somebody's quite cheery this evening," Mia noticed, "What's got you so happy? You didn't seem as elated when we stopped talking to the other mermaids at the Cafe."

"Oh you know, I'm just happy to be swimming out in the ocean, and being in this Moon Pool with my two best friends," Sara replied.

"Quit your bullshit," Mia stated flatly.

"What's the problem?" Sara questioned.

"Oh come on Sara. This is about Farley isn't it. Last time we saw you, you were chatting up with him, and now you come back excited and cheerful. What happened with him?" Katy spoke up, getting interested.

"What? No! It's not that… Nothing happened!" Sara stammered, looking for an excuse. Katy and Mia just looked at her in complete disbelief. "Ok ok. It's about Farley. We've… agreed to be officially a couple."

"That's awesome Sara!" Katy exclaimed, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Awwww…. You both will be so cute together. I'm already gagging," Mia teased.

"I'm making Mia feel sick? That just makes it so much sweeter," Sara joked back. The three of them shared a good laugh. But, Sara was quite content. She had two awesome best friends, she had a gift few others had, and now she had her first boyfriend, and an Australian no less. Her first month on the Gold Coast had been a complete success.

 **Make sure you all favorite, follow, and review! I love to hear from all my loyal readers. Also, if you have any potential storylines, I would love to hear them!**


	12. Chapter 12: Secrecy and Rebellion

**Chapter 12: Secrecy and Rebellion**

It was safe to say that Katy was jealous of Sara and Farley's new relationship. Katy had Mitch, and that was truly amazing. However, she was envious of Sara and Farley's ability to be public together as a couple. Their little moments of PDA pained Katy whenever she saw it. She and Mitch unfortunately did not have that luxury at the moment. They had to be hidden, away from the public eye. And, that was the hardest part. Yet still, Katy did slightly enjoy the secrecy and rebellion of it all.

She would visit him every time she could after school, as long as she could escape from Sara and Mia. A week after the arrival of Cleo, Rikki, and Bella, Katy left a regular school day with Mia. Sara had excused herself from the group early, for which Mia groaned that she was just going to hang out with Farley. "I tell ya, Farley's gonna take Sara away from us. She's probably already told him we're all mermaids," Mia complained as the two of them left the school grounds.

"They've only been official for a week now. Mia, give them some time together. And, I doubt Sara would've already given away our secret that easily. She's much smarter than that." Katy reassured her.

"Ugh whatever. Either way Team Mako is being split up."

"Do you have to be so negative about it? Or is it because Sara has found a guy for her and you're just jealous?" Katy questioned.

"What no? I'm fine how I am right now!" Mia responded quickly. Katy raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok. Ok. Maybe I'm slightly jealous of her right now. Only slightly. But, Blake and I have become friends again, so that is a significant improvement over what we were before."

"Maybe you'll date Blake then," Katy joked.

"Ugh, maybe if something extreme happened. But, I really don't see it happening," Mia spoke. "Ok what about you then? Any guys on your radar?" Mia quickly changed the subject.

"Nope! Not yet at least," Katy answered almost too quickly. Luckily, Mia didn't press for answers to harshly. The two of them continued walking away from the school. Katy gulped and spoke up again. "So, Mia I gotta be the bad friend as well. I'm going to run some errands, so I have to leave you."

Mia just scowled. "Damn. First Sara with Farley and now you with your errands. Guess I'll just be alone then."

"You could swim to Mako Island?" Katy suggested.

"Oh Boy! And hang out with those other mermaids? No way. Not on my list of fantastic things to do today."

"I don't have the answers for you…"

Mia stared at Katy. "Alright fine. Go. I'll be ok. I promise. But, when you're done text me. We are going to swim together tonight: You, Me, and Sara. Whether I have to drag her away from Farley or not, we're going to do that ok?"

"Duly noted," Kat joked. She said goodbye to Mia and went away. She followed the coast, winding through the forest, doubling back on herself if Mia had decided to follow her. Soon, she found herself staring out over the canal toward Mitch's boat house. She allowed herself a quick smile, before circling around toward his front door.

She entered immediately without knocking. Mitch was in the exact moment drinking water when she came in, and in his surprise spit out his drink, coughing and sputtering. He struggled for a few seconds before he addressed Katy. "What… are you doing?" he asked quietly, trying to contain his breath.

"I thought I would surprise you," Katy put forth.

Mitch wiped his lips on his sleeve. "Well good job, you definitely succeeded."

"How's it going with Marian? Any closer to breaking up with her?" Katy questioned blatantly.

"Already going straight for it. Not a, 'Hi Mitch. How's it going?' Just coming right out with what I'm doing with Marian," Mitch quipped.

"Oh I'm sorry. Hi Mitch. How are you doing? Good? That's great! Now, are you going to be breaking up with Marian soon?" Katy joked back, yet still keeping it serious.

"I promise you, it will happen soon. I just got to find a good time and place to do it. I'm working on it. You have to trust me," Mitch promised.

"Ok. I trust you. But do it soon. It's like a gotta rip it off quickly, you can't just hold onto it," Katy affirmed.

"What's got you troubled Katy? Usually you haven't been pushing me about this so heavily. Why now?" Mitch pondered.

"Sara is in a relationship with Farley. And, safe to say I'm very jealous of her. Not like about her having Farley, but they're so cute together at school, and we can't be that yet." Katy explained.

"Like I said, I'm working on it. You just have to trust me."

Katy sighed. "Ok. Mitch, I trust you. But, please do it soon."

"I promise. Besides, how could I say no to that cute face." Mitch stepped up to her. He leaned to her, and kissed her on the lips. He felt perfect to Katy. It was a little rebellion she was part of. She loved the feeling of almost being secretive about it. Her heart sped up a bit as they continued the kiss.

"...but I still can't believe it's been a week and we haven't been back here yet," came a woman's voice from outside the boat shed, circling toward the front door. Katy and Mitch immediately broke the kiss, surprised by the voice.

"Well, we've been busy. It's our first time back to Australia in a while. We had to travel around a bit," came another voice, this time a man's.

Katy somewhat placed the voices. They seemed familiar. She had heard them recently. But, she had a slight trouble placing them.

"Do you think someone actually lives here?" The woman asked.

"Only one way to find out," The man replied. A second later, loud knocks happened at the front door.

"Who is that?" Mitch whispered to Katy.

"You think I know?" Katy responded quietly, "I swear I've heard them before. But, maybe not. I don't know. Open the door, we need to see who this is."

"What if they're from school? They'll see me like this."

"And that'll happen either way when you break up with Marian and go public with me! Just do it!"

"Alright fine," Mitch cleared his throat, went to the door, and flung it open.

Katy wished now he hadn't. Standing in the doorway was none other than Bella and Will, looking quite confused when they saw Mitch standing in the doorway, with Katy behind him. "Katy? What are you doing here?" Bella asked.

"Oh…. Hi Bella. I'm just hanging out…" Katy came up with quickly, feeling almost awkward.

"You two know each other," Mitch turned to Katy and asked.

"We're acquaintances. She's a friend of Mia's cousin's girlfriend," Katy responded.

"Ain't it so," Mitch muttered. "Now, can I ask why you're here?" He turned back to Bella and Will.

"I used to live here like a year and a half ago," Will spoke. "Didn't think anyone would live in this place after me, but it seems like you've done well with it. We wanted to see how it was doing after all this time."

"Thanks I guess… Look, I don't really know you that well. It seems that Katy knows you, but I'm not sure about letting you come in…" Mitch trailed off. Katy sensed his defensive tactics. Mitch wasn't used to fully trusting other people.

"That's ok," Will backed off, "Just wanted to make sure this thing was kept in good shape. That's all."

Katy spoke up. "Mitch, they're ok people. Just let them come in and check it out. You want to be able to trust people, you have to start now."

Mitch seemed tense for a moment, then he relaxed his shoulders. "Alright fine, you can have a quick look around. Just don't mess with anything."

Will nodded, and he and Bella stepped into the boat house. "You've done quite well keeping this place clean. I'm impressed," Will complimented.

"Thank you," Mitch responded flatly.

"Ha. When Will lived here, the entire place was covered in junk that he collected over the years. I kept trying to make him clean it up, but it never worked," Bella joked.

"When did you move out?" Katy asked.

"Oh…. When I graduated high school, I stayed in for that summer before I moved to Los Angeles for University," Will explained, "It worked out for me and Bella though, despite being apart. She was close by in San Diego with Cleo and Rikki. We would see each other every so often whenever we could get away."

"Aren't you both so cute," Mitch joked, still wary of them. Katy shot him an angry glance. Mitch just shook his head.

"We've been together for about a year and a half, and we've handled moving to a new country and going to different universities. I think we're doing well," Bella put in, almost mocking Mitch.

"Well, if I ever need any relationship advice, I know who to go to then." Mitch shot back sarcastically.

Since there wasn't much to the boat shed, the tour was quick for Bella and Will. Will told a few quick stories about his time living there, but mostly didn't say much. They said their goodbyes, and left, leaving Mitch and Katy alone once again. "Your friends are odd," Mitch stated when Will and Bella had been gone for a time.

"Well they aren't my friends. They're acquaintances, big difference. And why were you being so defensive there? They were being nice." Katy asked.

"Some random bloke and his girlfriend showing up at my door saying he used to live here? Seems suspicious to me. The only reason they stayed as long as they did was because you knew them." Mitch explained.

"You have to better at dealing with new people like that," Katy suggested.

"I've been handling life myself pretty well so far. I've actually done really well for myself considering the circumstances."

"But, it's better to learn to trust people."

"I trusted my parents to raise me in a good household, and you know how that happened and where I am now."

"Yet, you're asking me to trust you when you say you're going to break up with Marian soon."

Mitch sighed. "You're right. I do need to work on it. But, you're the first person I've been able to talk to about this. It'll take me some time, but I know I can do it."

"I'm glad I could be so special to you," Katy moved over and hugged Mitch's larger frame. "But, it won't be worth anything if you don't break out of your shell." Mitch hugged her back. There was nothing he could think to say. Deep in his mind, he knew Katy was right. He just didn't know how to do it.

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Sara and Farley walked together along the beach, hands intertwined as they went along their way. Sara convinced Farley to stay farther away from the ocean as to hopefully not get sprayed or splashed by the ocean in any way. It was fun to go about their own pace, and Sara enjoyed the attention she got from Farley. "How are Mia and Katy dealing with the fact that you have a boyfriend and they don't?" Farley teased.

"They're happy for me, somewhat. With a slight tinge of jealousy," Sara replied, smiling. She felt as though Farley understood her more than most guys she had a chance with back in Gibbon.

"Well, I would consider myself lucky to get a beautiful all-American girl like yourself," Farley flirted.

"I had heard a lot about Australian boys when I was growing up in America. I just never thought I'd get a chance to actually have one for my own," Sara returned. She kissed Farley on the lips before taking off across the sand at full sprint. "Catch me if you can!" She yelled back in a teasing manner.

Farley stepped back in surprise as he saw Sara run down the beach. He smiled and chased off after her. His training with Blake let him catch up to Sara pretty quickly. "Got ya!" he teased as he picked up Sara off of the beach. However, the momentum of the run was too much, and it sent the both of them laughing hysterically as they crashed to the ground, with Sara landing on top of Farley.

They looked into each other and chuckled at the silliness of it all. Sara leaned down and kissed Farley gently upon the lips. He reached upward, moving her golden hair backward behind her ear, touching her face gingerly. It was a splendid moment for Sara, feeling Farley's newly toned arms caressing her head.

Sara failed to notice how close their fall was to the incoming tide, and she opened her eyes to the rushing sound of water, just in time to shove herself off of Farley, before the wave battered him. Farley stood up instantaneously and out of the water, slightly soaked. The water had lightly splashed Sara's hand as she leapt up. She turned away from Farley to hide herself forcing the water off with her powers and onto the sand below her. It took two seconds and she was completely dry again, avoiding the mermaid tail.

Farley began to step toward her. "Now that was not what I was expecting," he joked.

Sara held out her hand. "Just stay back a second. You're soaking wet," She spoke, scared he would get water onto her, revealing her mermaidness.

Farley played it cool. He knew what she was, and he knew forcing her like this would be bad. But, he had to seem to not know about anything. "What's wrong with that?" he asked innocently.

"I just. Don't want to get wet. Saltwater isn't good for my skin. Not a big fan of it," Sara fibbed.

 _Liar. But I don't blame her._ Farley chuckled to himself. "Ok fine. Shall we continue walking then?" he asked, pointing back the way they came.

"I'd like that," Sara smiled.

A half hour later, Farley was mostly dry, but Sara wasn't taking any chances. They had walked back down the beach still talking, but Sara still refused to grab Farley's hand, lest he find out about her secret. So they continued walking apart.

"Why are you so scared of the water? Besides the problem with your skin and saltwater. Is it because you aren't from a place with the ocean?" Farley asked out of the blue.

"A little because of that yeah. It's so intimidating. I'm not sure what to think about it," Sara replied.

"I've lived my life mostly in western Brisbane, away from the sea. So, I'm not as used to be extremely close to the beach everyday like this either," Farley put in.

Just then, Sara's phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked at it to see a text from Mia. "Feeling lonely. Meet me at the Cafe. And yes, you can bring that boy toy with you," it said. Sara just rolled her eyes. But, she felt like she couldn't just abandon Mia, even if she was trying to break up her date for the day.

"What was that?" Farley asked.

"Mia. Wants us to come to the Cafe. Keep her company I suppose," Sara explained.

"Ugh. Do we have to? She's just gonna be a third wheel for the two of us," Farley complained. He didn't mind Sara's two friends, but sometimes they were a little too close. Could've been mostly because of the mermaid thing, but Farley wasn't sure.

"Come on. Let's just be nice," And Sara went ahead, leaving Farley the option to either go with or be left behind. He decided to follow her.

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At the Cafe, Mia was sitting at a booth by herself with a juice when Sara and Farley arrived. Mia smiled and waved them over. The two of them sat opposite side to Mia who slurped some of her juice. "What's going on?" Mia asked almost too cheerfully.

"Well, Farley and I were hanging out together... But you wanted us to come here, so here we are!" Sara replied, a bit sarcastically. "I thought you were hanging out with Katy anyway."

"Katy's busy with some errands, so I thought I would hit up you two and see what was going on. Grab some juice!" Mia spoke, smirk on her face.

A waitress came by, and Sara and Farley both ordered a juice each. Within a few minutes, they were delivered to their table freshly prepared. "I gotta say. This juice is so much cheaper and better to get it fresh here then back home," Sara spoke up.

"What? You didn't have any corn and beef smoothies back in Nebraska?" Mia teased.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny. Maybe I should dump my smoothie on you," Sara joked back.

The two of them laughed at each other, leaving Farley just sitting there with nothing to do but be silent. _Maybe I'm the third wheel to them._ He pondered to himself, drumming his fingers on the table.

Sara sensed his feeling of awkwardness, and reached down with her hand and grabbing his hand closest to her, resting it on the table. Mia noticed immediately. "Oh please don't you're gonna make me sick," She joked.

"Well, you might be seeing more of it. Farley and I are dating now so better get used to it," Sara shot back.

Just then, into the Cafe walked Bella and Will, casually talking to each other. "There's one of them," Mia spoke low to Sara and pointed her out.

"One of who?" Farley asked spinning around and trying to get a better look.

"This doesn't concern you Farley," Mia responded quickly.

Bella noticed Mia and Sara. She walked over quickly. "What a small world," Bella joked, "I just saw your friend Katy not ten minutes ago."

"You saw her? Where was she?" Mia asked, wondering about what Katy's errands were.

"Yeah. Will used to live in this boat shed nearby, so we went to visit it. And Katy was there, visiting with the bloke that lives there now. He was decently tall. What was his name? Richard or something? No… Can't remember. Had thick black hair, and a sense of haughtiness about him. He seemed to listen to Katy though." Bella explained.

"So she lied to me! She was actually going and seeing a boy instead of hanging out with me. Ugh. Both of you two and your boys." Mia complained.

Farley was about to defend himself and Sara, but She spoke up. "Wait, Mia. Jet black hair? Really tall? Arrogant asshole? Could it be…?"

"But… No way… Couldn't be… Come on, she wouldn't do that..." Mia trailed off.

Farley realized it as well. "But, she wouldn't be with him… Would she?"

Sara scrambled through her facebook. Looking for the one picture she could use, and she eventually found it, showing it to Bella. "Is this who you saw?" she asked.

Bella studied the picture for a moment. "Yeah that was him. She and him were definitely there together," she spoke.

A sense of dread filled the three of them sitting down. "So… Katy is with Mitch Stevens…" Farley spoke quietly.

"We don't know that for sure. We just… She can't be dating him at least. He's with Marian! But, why would she be hanging out with him?" Mia spat.

"I don't know. I don't know," Sara responded in shock. "He's an asshole! Why would the normally happy-go-lucky Katy be with him?"

"I remember my first day here. He made me a dare, or else he would make my life hell. He said I had to go to Mako Island and take pictures…" Farley began before slamming his mouth shut. Sara and Mia's eyes were on him immediately. _Shit! I can't give away that I know about their pool on Mako!_

"You went to Mako Island?" Sara and Mia questioned simultaneously. Even Bella looked at Farley with eyes showing concern

"What's w-wrong?" Farley stammered. "I just went to some beach on the west side. Took some pictures, and then I left immediately. I was creeped out by the whole island. Too weird." Farley breathed a sigh of relief as he made it through the lie with himself intact.

"It's not that weird!" Mia shot back. Sara glared angrily at Mia. "But we don't blame you for leaving so early. Either way, we have to deal with Katy now. Sara, you and I need to find out more. Sorry Farley, this is a girl thing."

"Uh…. Ok." he spoke, quite confused.

"Text Katy to meet us… at the usual meeting place, and let's go and talk to her."

"Right. Sorry Farley. This is between us girls right now," Sara apologized, and she and Mia got up immediately, heading out of the Cafe.

Farley just slouched in his spot disappointed. _This would be so much easier if they knew that I know about them. Sara especially wouldn't need to be so secretive._

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Sara and Mia impatiently floated in the Moon Pool. They immediately swam there from the Cafe after texting Katy. Now all they had to do was wait for her to show. "Ok, so what's the plan?" Sara asked.

"We can't come right out and say it. We have to give her the chance to come clean right away. Keep pushing the envelope and see if she cracks," Mia planned.

"And what if she lies and denies everything?"

"She's still our friend. But, we have to decide what we need to do." They stood quiet for another minute in the pool.

"What if she doesn't come?" was Sara's next question.

"She has to come to us eventually. We can't allow her to be with Mitch. He's bad news all around."

"But what I found surprising is that Bella said that Mitch seemed almost tamed by Katy. How could that happen? Biggest jerk in the school, and yet he listens to what Katy says? Something doesn't seem right." Sara spoke forth.

"Let's just see what happens when she arrives."

Not five minutes, the cheery redhead rose from the pool, a smile on her face. "Hey guys! How's it going?" Katy asked.

"Oh pretty good," Sara spoke casually.

"How were your errands?" Mia asked nonchalantly.

"Decently well. Just had to pick up a few things at the shops for my mum. Nothing too big," Katy lied.

"Yet you still left me behind for it?" Mia asked, slightly forming it as a joke. "I had to bother Sara and Farley for a cure to my loneliness."

"Sorry Mia. You know how my mother is. I had to get this done or else I would've gotten into some trouble."

Mia and Sara looked at each other. They didn't know what to say. Katy was obviously lying to them. There was nothing they could do. "Good to know," was all that Sara said.

Katy was puzzled. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's all fine," Mia spoke, "Are you sure there wasn't anything else you did at all?"

"I told you, I went to the store for my mum. What is this? An interrogation?"

"No… But we're just concerned…" Sara began.

"About what? I didn't come here to hang out with my best friends only to be questioned about my entire afternoon!" Katy was fuming.

Sara and Mia backed off. "Sorry Katy. We just usually hang out. But I was confused why you were just running off with a vague explanation," Mia apologized.

"So, you're questioning me instead of talking to Sara so much about hanging out with Farley? Mia. We've been friends longer than that."

"Sara has a boyfriend now! I'm sorry she can't hang with us all the time," Mia spoke.

"Oh and how long until Farley finds out she's a mermaid! Face it. We have to stick together and you're trying to sow distrust of me! We've been friends for six years Mia!"

Sara exploded. She had had enough. This was it. "Alright, Katy. Enough bullshit. We know you were hanging out with Mitch Stevens. You lied to Mia before, and you're lying now."

The moon pool got quiet. Real quiet. Sara and Mia stared at Katy, waiting for a response. It was time for her to fess up to everything.

 **Hope you guys love the story! Send a review as per usual. Stay tuned for chapter 13 next week!**


	13. Chapter 13: Trouble in Paradise

**Since it is my birthday today, I decided to gift you all with the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! And as always, review what you loved.**

 **Chapter 13: Trouble in Paradise**

Katy slouched, head down and embarrassed. Sara and Mia were over her, scowling angrily. It had all been found out. She waited a minute then spoke quietly. "How did you find out about Mitch and I?" she asked.

"Bella told us. She said that she saw you and Mitch together in some boat shed that Will used to live in?" Sara trailed off.

"What in the hell are you doing with Mitch in some random boat house?" Mia questioned angrily.

"That's where he lives… We've been hanging out every so often over the past month or so. Kinda." Katy replied, a lump in her throat.

"Why have you been hanging out with that asshole?" Sara asked.

"He's not a bad guy! He just has had a bad childhood, but he's trying to make his life better. Honest! You haven't had the chance to meet the real Mitch. He's passionate, tenacious, and kind," Katy explained.

"I have a hard time believing that. Mitch has always been a jerk. And, we've known him for years! I can't think he just had a sudden change of heart like that." Mia responded.

"Believe me then! I know I can trust him."

"We want to believe you," Sara spoke up, "but you just lied to us about what you were doing this afternoon! We're all together"

"Oh yeah? And what was I supposed to say? 'Hey guys good to see you. You know that guy you hate? Yeah I hang out with him a lot. No big deal.' You see my problem. I was waiting for Mitch to do it himself. Break up with Marian, show he's not a jerk, and be with me. I just needed time." Katy tried to explain.

"Wait…. Break up with Marian to be with you? Are you trying to date him? Is this something you've already decided on?" Sara interrogated.

"Kind of? He wants to be with me more than Marian. I do know that."

"Oh? And he hasn't broken up with her yet?" Mia put forth.

"It's complicated," Katy replied.

"Here's the way I see it," Sara interjected. "He dates Marian in public, gets all the attention by how attractive and popular she is. Then, he comes to you in private. Plays the charming tragic hero and redeemed villain. It'll make you like putty in his hands. He won't break up with Marian to be with you. He's just gonna keep playing both you and her as long as he can."

"No… He wouldn't do that…"

"And what if Mitchfinds out you're a mermaid? What would he do then? He's unpredictable. It's best to just avoid him. He's just gonna string you along until he doesn't need you anymore. It's important to not get involved with him," Mia asserted.

"I don't want to say it's either us or him," Sara reached out. "But, you have to decide if it's ok to compromise yourself and our group like this."

Katy remained silent. She didn't have any defense against it. And even so, they could be right about Mitch, about everything. She couldn't do anything with him until he broke up with Marian, not even be seen together in public. It seemingly fit. All Mitch had to do was act like he was going to break up with Marian, and Katy would just stay right there with him, ready to see him at any text. Katy finally spoke. "I… don't want to ruin it with the both of you. Besides, Team Mako comes first right? I'll… put him aside I guess."

Mia and Sara smiled. "Good," Mia replied. "And besides, if Mitch truly does want you, he'll race after you. If not, better to cut ties now before you get your heart broken."

"So I wasn't the only one with a boyfriend then," Sara joked. "Although you were more hidden with yours."

"But still. Now it's my turn to play him. If he wants me, he'll have to come chase me. I'm glad I have you two by my side," Katy responded.

"What are friends for?" Mia laughed. The three of them hugged. Katy still wanted Mitch more than anything. But, he needed to prove himself.

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The weekend came soon for Sara, and she was excited. She had a whole afternoon planned with Farley. It was wonderful for her to have a boyfriend. She lay in bed that saturday morning, not wanting to leave. Sara wanted to rest for the morning hours, even though Mia and Katy had asked her for a morning swim. Much to their chagrin, she stayed in, even more so when she told her she would be on a date with Farley later that day, ruining any afternoon plans with the two of them.

She pulled herself out of bed when she was hungry, eager for a bit of breakfast. Her mother was watching television when she got to the kitchen. She said a quick "Hey," then immediately went to the fridge.

"How's it going sweetie?" her mom called from living room.

"Oh you know, just peachy," Sara called back. "Just getting some breakfast."

She grabbed a pan and made some quick scrambled eggs, shoving them onto a plate. Sara chowed them down quickly. A noise at the backdoor scared her, and she jumped back in surprise, only to see her father walk in from the back dock area, wide grin on his face. "Sara! I'm glad you're up!" he exclaimed. "I've got something exciting to show you."

"What is it?"

"Oh… You'll have to come and see," he replied cryptically, disappearing out the door again.

Sara just rolled her eyes, stepping away from her plate and following her father out the back door. Sitting against the dock and tied up against the post was a Blue inflatable motorboat bobbing up and down in the canal water. "Ta da!" Paul exclaimed, gesturing toward the boat, giant grin on his face. "What do you think?"

"It's…. Cool? What is it?" Sara asked, somewhat confused.

"We bought a boat!" her father spoke. "For all three of us. What do you think?"

"Why did you buy a boat?"

"We live near the ocean now, our house backing up to a canal no less. Your mother and I had planned on getting a boat, and we found this one; perfect for all of us. Come on! Let's take it out onto the water."

Sara backed up for a moment. "I don't think that's such a good idea…" she trailed off.

"What's wrong Sara? We're just gonna take it along the canals. We won't take it to the open ocean."

 _I can't get in that boat. One splash of water around my father and I'm finished!_ "I just can't, Dad." She spoke, fear filling her.

Paul reached out to her. "What's wrong Sara? It's just a small boat ride, nothing big."

"Dad. I don't want to, I can't! I just can't do it!" Panic was now coursing through Sara. She continued backing up toward the door.

"Sara, just get in the boat. It's going to be ok."

Sara broke. She turned and ran back into the house, past her bewildered mother, and up the stairs, three at a time. She rushed into her room, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Sara sat on the bed, a tear forming in her eye. _They won't understand. They can't understand. What I am? They must never know._ The tear fell into her lap. She made no attempt to stop it. Another one began to form as well.

A minute later she heard a knock at her door. "Sara? It's your father. Can we talk honestly about what's going on? I want to help you with whatever you're dealing with." came the voice from the other side of the door.

Sara steeled herself, wiping any tears away from her face. She went to the door, opening it to see her father in the doorway, looking awfully concerned. "Hey. Sorry about that," Sara spoke softly.

"Let's sit down. I want to talk to you about what just happened. I'm your father. I want to help you with anything going on right now."

They sat on the edge of Sara's bed. Sara just looked down at the floor. "It's hard to talk about myself like this," She spoke.

"Tell me what's going on Sara. Ever since we came to Australia, you've been acting somewhat strangely. And then today, you panicked when I suggested we try out our new boat. I want to help you with whatever you're dealing with."

Sara sighed. She had to say something. It was time to talk "Do you know that boat trip I went on with Mia and Katy some weeks back?"

"If I recall, that was on your third day here. You had to plead with Mom to allow you to go on it with your friends," Paul responded.

"Yes… Well…" Sara stopped for a moment. "Something happened that evening."

"Sara what is this about?"

"During that trip, I fell out of the boat and into the open ocean accidentally. I panicked. I can't swim well, so I just barely was able to keep my head above water as waves were crashing over me. I couldn't see my friends. I thought I was going to drown. It could've been ten seconds or over ten minutes I don't know, but Mia and Katy pulled the boat around and pulled me back out of the water… And, ever since I've been scared of boats and getting in the water," Sara lied. It was the best excuse she could come up with, hoping her father would buy it.

Paul stayed silent for a moment. "You should've told us about this sooner. That's a scary situation Sara."

"What was I supposed to do? Do you know what Mom would've done if she found out? She'd become even more protective of me. I'd lose what I have in terms of freedom, and with new friends and a new place to live, it would've been extremely damaging to any social life."

"I'm sorry you had to go through with it." Paul replied, hugging Sara close. "I won't force you to use or take a ride with the boat. Ok? Not until you're ready."

"Thanks dad," Sara smiled. Maybe, one day in the future she would reveal her true secret to them. But, at least for now she knew she couldn't.

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"Sounds like you've had an interesting morning," Farley spoke. He and Sara had eaten lunch at Rikki's Cafe, and were now walking through the city enjoying the warm sun. She told him about the problems that morning with her family's new boat, telling him the "fall out of the boat" story. She had quickly texted Mia and Katy about it as well so they could corroborate the tale if Farley ever asked them about it.

Of course, Farley already knew Sara was a mermaid, and her taking the boat ride with her father would easily end up with her in mermaid form. But, he went along with her falling out of the boat to act like he had no idea about her big secret.

"Yes. But, I do feel bad. My parents got the boat for all of us, and yet I'm not going to be using it. My father will love it though. He's gonna probably be using it for fishing all the time."

They continued walking along, eventually making it to the beach, staring out over the sand. "So, understandably you hate the ocean. But what about going out to the beach?" Farley spoke. "We were fine out there last time."

"The beach is perfectly ok. Just don't ask me to go into the water, and all will be fine." Sara replied.

"Wasn't planning on it. I'll just pick you up and carry you in," Farley joked, stealing a kiss from her.

"You wouldn't dare," Sara put back.

"Well considering you'd probably kill me if I did that, I'd rather not risk it," Farley responded playfully. He leaned in, sharing another kiss with Sara.

They broke away after a moment, continuing to stare out over the ocean. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Sara spoke after a minute.

"Oh? What about?"

"We found out more about Katy and Mitch."

"I still don't understand how they would even meet, let alone become friends. It's too bizarre."

"It gets worse. Apparently, they've most likely been dating in secret. Katy confirmed it. She said she'll stay away from him, but I have my doubts."

"What about him dating Marian? That's still going on right?"

"That's what makes it worse. Katy thinks that she has Mitch's heart, while he goes on dating Marian. So, he doesn't have to do anything, and just keep lying to Katy, and he won't ever have to break up with Marian." Sara concluded.

"I don't know if he can get away with that. He's cunning yet dumb enough to actually try it. It makes too much sense." Farley replied.

"I just hope there's no fall out from Katy because of this. We basically told her to stop seeing this guy, like it's either us or him."

"Sounds like there's trouble in paradise."

"What? No. It's fine. Besides, that's almost a bit on the nose if I might add."

"But even so, I still hate Mitch. He's just a total bully, and he has nothing good going for him."

Sara sighed. "I hate bullies more than you could imagine."

"I've had my fair share over the years. But, it sounds like you've most likely had it worse than me from the way it's sounding," Farley replied.

"When I was in elementary school, and a few years into middle school, I was fat. Not chubby, not big boned, I was definitely overweight, almost obese," Sara began. "I was constantly bullied about it for years. Until, one day I had enough. For over three years I began to play sports, eat right, and do some fitness. Over time I lost all the weight and became an athlete."

"That sounds like you're one of the most determined person I've ever met if you were willing to do all that." Farley complimented.

"Thank you. It means so much to hear you say that. Maybe that's why you're my first kiss. It wasn't till now that I had the confidence and attractiveness to actually have this chance." Sara joked.

Farley reached over and kissed her. "I'm glad I have that honor. As well as your fifth, sixth, eighth, and many more."

The two of them laughed together, enjoying the moment. "Maybe that was why I was so impressed about your fitness. It kinda reminded me of my motivation all those years ago," Sara admitted.

"I'm honored you think that," Farley bowed, grabbing Sara's hand in his.

They stared out over the ocean, the warm sun behind them. "I still don't know what to do about Katy," Sara stated after a while.

"Either way it goes, I think that she'll understand. She's fiercely loyal to both you and Mia. You three are basically inseparable. I'm sure even being with me has caused a bit of controversy among your group."

"Only a bit. They're only afraid I'll reveal too much about us to you." Sara immediately slammed her mouth shut. She had said too much.

"Reveal too much about you? What, are you all hiding some big secret or something?" Farley replied, trying to play it off as a joke, giving him a back door ready.

"Good one Farley. No, there's no secret between the three of us…. Nope just some good ol fashioned friendship."

Farley doubled down. "Then what are they so worried about you revealing to me? What's so secretive? You gotta tell me."

Sara was not in the mood. "I'm not going to talk to you about this. This is something between me, Mia, and Katy. So bug out of our business." She walked away from Farley. "Don't ever presume to know about us!" She yelled over her shoulder as she hustled away.

Farley just stood there in shock as Sara ran away. He thought about going after her, but he knew at that moment it would only get worse. He sat down on the sand in a huff. _I have to let her know that I already know what she is and that I don't care. But, I have no idea the way to do it right._

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"I might have messed up today guys," Sara spoke. She, Mia, and Katy were laying in the Moon Pool. Sara had texted them after she left Farley. She needed to take her mind off of things, and swimming with going to Mako Island was seemingly the best plan for it.

"Don't tell me you already told Farley our secret! I knew it would only get worse." Mia complained.

"Well… no… but, I may have said that we have a big secret…"

"What? How Sara? Do you know that'll get really bad? You have to break up with him as soon as you can. He'll get too close!"

"But what if we can trust him?" Katy put in, trying to be constructive.

"Shut it Katy," Mia fired back. "We thought we could trust you, but you were off gallivanting with Mitch. Like I said, we have to protect each other no matter what. So, I will stand by my case that Sara should break up with Farley."

"I'm not going to do that! He's sweet and caring. I'll be more careful. I'll… give him an ultimatum. Either he shuts up about wanting to know our secret, or I'll break up with him. Happy?" Sara spoke up.

Mia sighed. "Ok fine. That's the best we can do right now. But even so, we must let no one find out about us. No families, other friends, and especially boyfriends." Katy and Sara nodded in agreeance. The fact remained. No other person could know about them. They only hoped they could keep the secret.


	14. Chapter 14: Kidnapped

**Chapter 14: Kidnapped**

Farley and Blake left the school promptly at the end of the last period. They both had to admit they were becoming fast friends. Over the past weeks of workouts and chemistry studying, they found out they actually had similar personalities. Even so, with Farley dating Sara, and Blake going after Mia, it was good that they all were friends as well. Even so, Blake wasn't official with Mia yet, as they were still at the "Just Friends" stage, but he hoped to change that soon.

"So what's the agenda for this afternoon?" Farley asked, yawning and stretching into the air.

"Don't tell me you're getting tired already, Farley," Blake joked, clasping Farley on the shoulder.

"You laugh, but I'm catching up to you in endurance," Farley shot back.

"Yeah tell that to me when you're the star of the rugby team."

"What's your position? Benchwarmer?" The two of them laughed at the ludicrousness of it. They continued walking, away from the school and toward another part of the city. Soon, Farley felt strange, he wasn't familiar with the area they were going. They ended out in a warehouse area, fishing supplies strewn about everywhere. Blake seemed to know where he was going, so Farley just followed.

Soon, Farley got worried. Blake just seemed to be trying to get somewhere, but the place where they were at only got more sketchy. "Ok Blake. Where are we? Why are we here?"

"Be quiet Farley," Blake responded, "There's something I need to do here."

"What why?" Farley asked, quieter this time. "What do you need to do here? And why did you drag me along?"

"Ok. I've been here a few times. There's this group of three blokes that are usually around here.. They seem to be criminals, so I've been visiting here a couple times to take pictures and collect evidence."

"Blake, what the hell are you going on about?"

"I think they're trying to ship in drugs somehow. I'm taking pictures from afar of all their operations."

"Isn't that a job for the police?"

"They know nothing about this. It's up to me."

"Damn it Blake, don't be so altruistic. Let's just ignore it and get out of here."

"Then you go! I have to do this Farley."

"But why?"

"I just feel like it ok!"

Farley just nodded his head."Good luck to you Blake, but I'm not getting involved in this." Farley took a step back, and jogged away.

 _Good luck indeed._ Blake thought to himself. _I'm going to turn them in for sure._ He crept up closer toward the edge of the docks, hiding behind some pallets. He saw the men. They were working on their boat, looking like they were getting close to launching off. Blake pulled out his phone, snapping a few pictures.

He crept close as he dared, trying to get a good shot of their faces. He was now within twenty five meters of their boat. There were two of them on the boat, arguing about something. _What are they planning?_ Blake snapped a couple more pictures, and shoving the phone back into his pocket.

 _Well, there's two of them? Where's the third?_ Blake stood in silence for another few minutes waiting for the third man of their group to show up. He knew he was taking a risk, but he wasn't just going to give up that early.

Suddenly, a driving force smashed into the back of Blake's skull, sending him flying forward. The sudden shock and pain hit him, and he was blacked out instantly.

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Farley couldn't help but be annoyed with Blake. _He just had to play the hero_. He grumbled to himself as he continued back toward his neighborhood. Why did he need to go on being a type of vigilante? Farley kept a quick pace, although he was mostly frustrated at Blake. He would plan on talking to him later, see what was going on in his head, and why he thought it was such a great idea.

He reached Rikki's Cafe quickly. He needed a fresh juice to cool him off after his somewhat anger over Blake. When he entered, he saw Mia and Zane behind the counter, arguing about something or whatever. They didn't even notice him approach.

"Look Zane, you're being ridiculous, the full moon is still a week away. We'll be fine. We don't need your friends' help," Mia complained.

"Oh? And how did that turn out last time? Just peachy. We just want to help you with this," Zane replied.

"Whatever 'll think about it. Just quit pressuring us all the time."

Farley cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of both of them, startling them. "What's this about a full moon?" he asked to Mia, quickly flashing his eyes to Zane. Zane just shrugged and headed back to his office.

"Nothing. It's all fine. By the way, shouldn't you be with Blake?" Mia asked, quickly changing the subject. "You two are usually attached at the hip."

"Blake's being… occupied now, so I ditched him."

"What did he do this time?"

"He's apparently trying to go after some criminals or something like that. Being too altruistic. I left him there. I'm not getting involved."

"What? Where is he? He's in danger!" Mia burst outwardly.

"He's by the docks on the far side…. Why? What's going…" but Mia wasn't paying attention, she was already out the cafe and running toward where Farley said to go. She couldn't let Blake put himself in danger. She had to go after him. No matter what she had said before, she cared about him.

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Blake slowly came to in a small room, that seemed to drift back and forth. His head was pounding, and he was almost delirious. His hands and feet were bound with duct tape, and he couldn't move. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. He was in some kind of storeroom, and by the rocking, he assumed he was on a boat. _What happened? Damn it! The third guy! He must've snuck up behind me._ "Let me out of here!" he shouted. No response came.

He hopped up to his feet, careful to keep his balance with his feet wrapped and hands bound. The boat jolted forward, sending him falling, only to smash into the wall in front of him. His face fell into a small window, and he brought his feet under him.

He looked out of it to see the docks, and the boat was slowly pulling away from it. _Damn it! I'm trapped and going out to sea. What do they want with me?_ Then, he saw something strange. A girl appeared behind one of the buildings. It was Mia. The two of them made eye contact. She looked full of fear, and Blake knew he looked the same way to her. Blake saw Mia running toward the docks, diving into the water. _What is she doing? She can't possibly hope to catch up by swimming!_

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When Mia saw Blake in the window of the boat, fear in his eyes, she made her decision. She had to do something. If he saw her with a tail, so be it. She had to try and save him. She took ten strides on the dock and dove full bore into the water. When her tail appeared, she raced toward the boat, which had now gone to full speed, hurrying out toward the open ocean. Soon she swam alongside it. She had to come up with a plan to save Blake. Whoever had kidnapped him had meant him harm. She had to wait, see how their plan played out.

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They were farther and farther away from shore now, and Blake couldn't see the mainland anymore. He was alone in the open ocean. Mia had jumped into the sea after them, but Blake hadn't seen her after that. So, he assumed she had given up. He needed to find his own way out of this. He searched around the room, finding a sharp metal beam. He placed the duct tape binding his hands against it, grinding up and down to wear out the tape.

It worked after a few minutes, and the metal cut through the tape. He pulled away, freeing his hands. He immediately went to his ankles, pulling the tape away, freeing his legs as well. He jumped to the door. It was locked and he couldn't get it open. He rammed his shoulder into it twice. The door slightly seemed to give, but it remained locked up tight. He cursed, flexing his shoulder. He was about to charge again, but he felt the boat slowing down and coming to a stop. He pondered and went to the window. True to form, they had stopped in the middle of the ocean. No land was visible behind them. _What's going on with them?_

Within a few minutes, he heard a small engine start up. He looked out to see a small inflatable motorboat with the three men inside racing away. _Why are they leaving this boat? It seems like…_

BOOM! An explosion interrupted his thoughts. It came from underneath him, vibrating the whole ship. Blake steadied himself, but the boat began to lazily list toward the rear. _Shit! They're trying to sink the boat with me inside of it!_ He ran full bore at the door, lowering his shoulder into it. The wooden fibers began to splinter, and he saw a hole through toward the bridge.

He stepped back, careful about the developing slope in the floor as the back end began to sink. He ran forward again, this time shattering the door at the handle, opening it up toward the bridge. Just as he made it through the doorway, the boat lurched, angling backward. He barely had time to clamber onto the wall next to the opening before the boat began moving toward straight perpendicular to the water surface. He looked right to see the water outside the glass windows. The boat was going under the surface.

Under him, in the room he was in previous, water began to gush in around the window where he had been looking out. He panicked, reaching up for the door out of the bridge, but it was locked too. He threw his shoulder against, but nothing, the water was too strong outside.

He looked back again, and the water had reached the doorway. He threw his shoulder against the door again, but it only managed to crack the glass. _Oh shit…._ The water crashed through the glass, flooding into boat. Blake clambered upward to the last pocket of air, taking deep breaths.

Within seconds, the last amount of air was beginning to be taken away, as almost the entire boat was underwater now. He took a last breath, going under the water. He moved toward the open window, but his foot caught on the steering column, sending him spiraling into the former floor of the boat. He steeled himself, still underwater. With his eyes open yet burning, he reached down to untangle his leg, but in his panic, he only made it worse.

His lungs were beginning to cry for air. His vision was fading in and out. _This is where I'm going to die._ If Blake could cry underwater, he would've. He thought about his family and friends. They would never know what happened to him. He looked out toward the open window.

Suddenly, Mia's face appeared in the doorway. The slight adrenaline rush made him awake for a moment. She glided into the opening and toward him. His last vision was looking at Mia and seeing a glittering orange tail connected to her. And then, he was out.

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The explosion had scared Mia. She swam away from the boat to regroup and assess the situation, and what had happened. She feared the explosion had killed Blake, but it seemed only in the base of the boat, but the entire thing began to sink. Eventually she brought herself back to the boat when it was underwater, only to see Blake struggling against the instrument panel, his shoe stuck. He seemed in bad shape, drifting in the water. But, when he approached, they locked eyes. For one second, Blake seemed shocked. Then, his eyes rolled back and he went unconscious. Mia did the only thing she could think of. She kissed him.

When their lips touched, she blew air into his lungs, helping his brain light up again. She freed his foot, yanking him out of the boat, with him in a state between conscious and unconscious. She made a choice. With it so close and Blake in trouble she had to.

She raced away toward Mako Island.

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Less than a minute later, she pulled herself up onto the beach with Blake, getting them both out of the surf and onto dry land. Blake's eyes were still closed and he felt cold. Mia wasted no time. She immediately went into CPR. "Come on Blake! Stay with me!" She pleaded as she pounded on his chest. She went to give him air again, then back to chest compressions.

A second later, Blake's eyes snapped open in shock. He turned over, spitting up the water from his lungs onto the sand, coughing and sputtering. He was on his hands and knees, facing away from Mia. In a minute, his breathing returned to normal. "Mia… is that you?" he spoke to behind him.

"Yes. It's me…" Mia held her breath, she didn't have time to escape or dry off. She was trapped. Blake would see her as a mermaid.

"So it wasn't a dream… How..." Blake turned around, eyes growing wide as he saw her tail. He clambered backward in shock. "It's real…. But… that's impossible."

"Blake… I know this seems odd to you…"

"Mia… you're… you're a… a... What are you?

"I'm a mermaid Blake. As you can clearly see by the long orange fin coming from behind me." Mia spoke sarcastically.

"But, that's impossible? How… That's just…" Blake stammered. He swallowed, tempering himself. "We've known each other for years… How are you like this? Were you born like this? Who are you really? And what about Sara? And Katy? Are they as well?"

"It's still the same me, Blake. I was turned into a mermaid. But for the most part, I'm still a normal human girl. The one you've always known." Mia had a look of sadness in her eyes. "And… I'm the only one who's like this. Sara and Katy don't even know about me." Mia knew she was lying, but she had to in order to protect the other two.

Blake began to feel brave. "Mia… This is too crazy. How did this happen?"

"It's a long story. I was in the right place at the right time. And then… magic happened. And it turned me into a mermaid. I promise Blake, I'm still the same Mia you've always known."

Blake crawled back over to her, laying in front of her. "I don't even know where to begin with this. But, you saved my life… Because you're this mermaid, you saved me. I don't know how to repay you. After all I had done to you, abandoning you in middle school… You still saved my life…"

"I couldn't let you drown. You mean a lot to me Blake… And I know we've had our differences, but I like how you're beginning to change."

"Looks like you've changed much more than I have though," Blake joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Mia smiled. "Maybe so. But still, being a mermaid does have its perks."

"Mia, I'll be honest. I can barely believe what's happened. But even so… Why did you come after me? You didn't have to… Yet you did. You risked this secret to save my life."

Mia sighed. "Ok. Blake. I heard you were coming out here, and I had to do something. I couldn't allow you to get in trouble. The truth is… I like you… Like, I really like you… I want to be with you… I was just putting on the tough girl act to make you work for it…"

"I don't know what to say… I really like you too… And that was before you saved my life and revealed your secret, sacrificing it to save me…"

Mia smiled. She felt as though she made the right choice. Blake smiled back. The two locked eyes. Blake leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips. Mia felt overjoyed. She had risked it all for Blake, and he not only accepted her, but now they were together after so long.

 **Just to give you a heads up, my release schedule might get a bit more rocky with christmas, new years, and a new semester coming up. I plan to get things out to you as soon as I can, but this is just forewarning.**


	15. Chapter 15: Utterly Betrayed

**Chapter 15: Utterly Betrayed**

"It's the full moon tonight," Mia stated. She, alongside Sara and Katy were hanging out in the Moon Pool, enjoying their afternoon. It had been a week after her reveal to Blake, and although she had told the two others that they had started dating, Katy and Sara had no idea that Blake knew about her secret. Yes, she had lied about how she was the only mermaid, but even so the less they knew the better.

"How are we gonna fair this time? Last full moon didn't turn out so well. At least Zane was there to help us," Sara put in.

"Well… Cleo, Bella, and Rikki did offer their help for the moon…" Mia responded.

"We should take it," Katy said immediately, "Last time was awful and creepy since we don't remember anything."

"Are you sure? I think we can handle it…" Mia rebuttled.

"You can't be serious Mia," Sara reprimanded, "Last time was utter shit. We need their help. They've been mermaids for what… Four years? That's almost fifty full moons! They have so much more experience than us with this."

"I suppose so. I just don't like accepting charity like this," Mia replied.

"It's not charity. If we see the moon at all, we're finished. It's good to have people who have dealt with this before and can resist. We could learn a lot from them," Katy replied.

"Alright fine," Mia conceded, "we can accept their help. I suppose it'll be for the best."

The three girls nodded in agreement. It was time to be humble. They continued talking in the Moon Pool. Sara and Katy were eager to hear about Mia's new relationship with Blake, with Mia only rolling her eyes and giving vague answers. Sara was just glad the attention was placed off of her and Farley, as their relationship was seemingly old news now.

Sara felt a vibration in the water behind her. She knew what it would mean, and she shook her head and rolled over onto her back. Mia and Katy sensed it as well and followed suit. Sure enough, the heads of Cleo, Rikki, and Bella emerged from the Moon Pool, concerned looks on your faces. "I hope you three are doing well," Cleo stated, "because tonight is the full moon and you all better be ready for it."

"We are very well aware," Mia joked.

"Good thing we have Zane to remind us every time we've visited the Cafe over the past week," Sara quipped.

"You know he's just looking out for you," Rikki put in.

"Debatable. But, in all seriousness, we would appreciate your help with the full moon. Last time,we were… extremely unprepared…" Sara spoke. "Also considering we had no idea the moon would affect us that way."

"We heard the story from Zane. And I'm glad you're willing to accept our help," Bella said.

"I wouldn't say we're exactly willing," Mia quipped sarcastically, "but to be fair we do need it..."

"Fantastic!" Cleo exclaimed. "We're currently staying in Bella's parents' house while they're away. You all should come there tonight. It'd be fun!"

"Oh boy can't wait!" Sara spoke, dripping with sarcasm. "We'll talk about gossip and all the cute boys at school. OMG like totes fab!"

"Oh come on Sara," Katy elbowed her. "It won't be that bad! Besides, this time we know more about how to deal with avoiding the full moon."

"Alright fine. We'll do it your way. I supposed I can learn to enjoy it," Sara joked.

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An hour later as evening approached, Sara lay on the couch in her living room lazily watching TV. She missed some of the shows she had back in the US, and it was tough trying to get into the shows in Australia. She was mostly on her phone though, texting back and forth with Mia and Katy, while perusing over social media. All she wanted to do was kill time before it was time for their sleepover. So, she made her afternoon as least stressful as she could make it.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She yawned, pulling herself off of the couch over to the front door. She opened it to see Farley standing there, massive grin on his face. "Hey!" Sara spoke, "How's it going?"

"Decently well. You know, I was just passing by and I thought I might see what you're up to tonight," Farley replied, still smiling.

"Just passing by? Farley you live right across the street. It's impossible to 'just pass by.'"

"Alright you caught me. I wanted to see if you wanted to get some dinner later tonight. My treat!" Farley asked.

"Sorry Farley, not tonight. I've already made plans for a sleepover with Mia and Katy." Sara replied, much to Farley's dismay.

"Oh… Damn. Ok then. I don't want to break up your group. I'll just be the fourth wheel on the outside." Farley spoke, honestly disappointed.

Sara grabbed his shoulder. "Hey. I promise we will go tomorrow. But, tonight is a special night for me and the girls. It's important for us. I'm sorry."

Farley managed a half-smile. "Alright. Tomorrow. Gotcha. Cool. I'll text you later then."

"I'd like that," Sara smiled back. Farley nodded and stepped off the porch, with Sara closing the door behind him."

Farley questioned why Sara seemed defensive. He didn't have an answer, but still wanted to actually do something that night. So, he texted Blake, wanting to hang out. Still, it made no sense why this sleepover would be so important to Sara. Farley did a quick search on his phone. _It's a full moon tonight… I should keep Sara in mind. I just hope they all can survive themselves tonight._

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Sara arrived at the address Bella had given her. It was a normal tan house, not much different than any other houses in the neighborhood. Luckily for Sara, it wasn't too far from her own house, only a ten minute walk.

She entered into the house to see a flurry of action. Zane, Lewis, Cleo, Will, Bella, and Rikki were all moving about in organized chaos. They were moving large cardboard sheets, duct taping them to windows and doors, anything that could allow moonlight to come in. Mia and Katy were sitting on the couch, nervously watching the work being done around them, looking quite timid and overwhelmed. They waved her over and she sat down, careful to avoid the work being done around them.

"This is a bit overkill don't you think?" Sara asked.

"They assured us this was the best way to avoid looking at the moon, by making sure no moonlight can enter the house. Apparently reflections of the moon will affect us as well," Katy explained.

Mia spoke up. "But hey, as long as it keeps us from being moonstruck, I'm definitely for it."

The three of them watched the others go about covering the rest of the windows, finishing up quickly, with there being six of them. They rested in the living room for a few minutes. "You girls stay safe tonight," Lewis spoke. "The full moon has the strangest effects on mermaids. Even science can't explain some of them. Believe me, I've tried."

"Don't worry Lewis. We'll all be safe tonight," Cleo replied.

The guys nodded, standing up from the couch. "Alright then." Zane spoke up. "Text us if anything happens. We'll see you later." The guys kissed their girlfriends, then headed for the door.

"Now for some beers!" Will exclaimed, and the other two cheered. The three of them left the house in high spirits.

Rikki shook her head. "Men." she joked.

"What happens now?" Sara asked.

"Now? We just wait till morning basically. Just eat some food, watch some movies, hang out, talk. Normal sleepover stuff. We just need to avoid moonlight at all times. That shouldn't be difficult with the work we put in this afternoon," Cleo explained.

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The next few hours went by smoothly for all six of the girls. They made some food, watched some television, and talked a lot, mostly about their shared love of being mermaids. Cleo, Rikki, and Bella regaled the three others with their own stories from four years of having tails. From their run-ins with a nosy marine biologist who they tricked into believing they had given up their powers, to a rogue mermaid who tried to take away their tails for good, and stopping a comet from hitting Mako Island, they had plenty of interesting stories to tell. Sara, Mia, and Katy remained completely enamored by the tales.

"I'm gonna take my makeup off now," Katy stated sometime later into the evening. "I hate sleeping in it." And, she went off to the bathroom to do that.

A few minutes later, with Katy still in the bathroom, Mia needed to use the bathroom. "Is there another bathroom in this house? I need to go and I don't want to bother Katy too much."

Bella chuckled. "Yeah. Go upstairs, second door on your right." Mia nodded and headed upstairs. Could she have waited for Katy to finish? Probably. But, Mia didn't like to be patient, especially when it came to the bathroom.

When she finished, she stepped toward the door and turned off the light. But, when she did, the room was faintly lit up from a source above her. Curiosity got the best of Mia, and she stepped back and looked up.

Above her was a skylight, open to the night sky. Someone failed to cover it. Mia realized this just as the moon came into view above, and she stared at it, feeling the familiar glow. _Oh no…_ was Mia's last thought before she was lost to its power and influence.

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Farley and Blake were having their own sleepover at the same time at Farley's house. Farley felt it was better they stay at his house in order to keep an eye on Sara and the girls, if they were staying at Sara's house. But, Farley didn't know if that was true or not.

They had been playing Mario Kart most of the night, eating chips and having a great time. Farley felt like Blake and he were becoming fast best friends. He liked it. Moving to Gold Coast was definitely a good choice for him and his new friendship.

Farley had just won his third race in a row, throwing his hands up in celebration. "How the hell did you manage to do that?" Blake asked.

"Mate, this was my childhood. I've played this game more times than I can count. You can't stop the master," Farley gloated.

"I'll beat you eventually," Blake challenged. The two of them laughed together. It was interrupted by a series of texts to Blake's phone.

"Who's texting you at this hour?" Farley quipped sarcastically.

"It's Mia… I don't why she's texting now. I thought she was hanging out with Sara and Katy tonight," Blake responded.

"Well yeah. Sara confirmed that with me as well. It is their special night apparently. She said it was extremely important. What does it say?"

"It just says 'Come get me.' and that's it, followed by an address. What could this mean? There's nothing flirtatious about it at all. No emoji. Nothing. Do you think she's in trouble?"

"You're asking me? She's your girlfriend. Unless…" Farley remembered Sara texting him a month ago when she was moonstruck. It could be that Mia just got moonstruck and texted Blake. But still, he couldn't let Blake find out about the secret.

"Unless what?" Blake asked.

"Most likely nothing. She probably has a handle on things. Trust in Mia," Farley stated.

"Handle on what? Do you know something I don't? Or… Mia told me something about this night that is special," Blake put in.

"Yeah. What is so special about tonight?" Farley flipped it onto Blake. _Did he find out she was a mermaid?_ Farley pondered to himself.

"Well Sara thinks it's special as well, so obviously something is going on with both of them," Blake defended.

"What did Mia tell you about it being so special?" Farley asked again.

"I should ask you the same question. It definitely triggered you into thinking something probably not good." Blake said. "Unless, you know something about my girlfriend that you're not telling. What is it?"

"I was wondering if you knew things, because you're questioning me as well. Like you're trying to figure something out," Farley countered.

"I have been sworn to secrecy on all matters. So don't try and ask me about my girlfriend's private life," Blake pushed back.

"Yes and it involves my girlfriend as well, so I can get quite concerned," Farley responded quickly.

But, that left the door open for Blake. "Sara's a mermaid too?" he asked abruptly, covering his mouth with his hand, having given away everything.

"Shoulda figured you knew about Mia being a mermaid," Farley chuckled. "Welcome to the club."

"What? You knew already?" Blake questioned harshly.

"By accident really. It's the full moon. Makes mermaids act strangely. I was texted by Sara a month ago on the previous one. Found out they were all mermaids. Katy too." Farley spoke.

"How are you so nonchalant about this?" Blake asked.

"Because I've known about it for longer. Although to be fair, they don't know that I know about their secret. Come on. We gotta go there and see if everything is alright. I have a bad feeling about this." Farley was already getting up. Blake quickly stood, and they were out the door within seconds.

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Mia had not come back for a few minutes, but the rest of the girls weren't worried. They almost forgot about her for a moment. What did they have to worry about? It's not as if she had seen the moon, as all windows had been covered.

Mia came down the steps into the living room a minute later. "Hello friends!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Immediately, five pairs of eyes switched over to her. "Mia, what took you so long? Did you fall in the toilet?" Sara joked.

Mia just continued forward. "You know, it is a beautiful night tonight. It would be great to go for a swim." She stated, large smile on her face.

The mood in the room dropped. "She saw the moon." Cleo stated immediately.

"How the hell did that happen?" Sara questioned. "I thought you guys covered every window. We trusted you on that."

"We did but…" Bella began. "Shit! The bathroom I sent her to has a skylight in it. I didn't even think of it!"

"Ok ok. Let's stay calm. Everything will be alright," Cleo responded. "The moon doesn't affect us three now. And you two are still ok." She pointed to Katy and Sara. "Let's just keep Mia here. Maintain eyes on her at all times. We can't allow her to go for a swim or even outside at all."

Sara got up to Mia, grabbing her arm. "Come on Mia, let's take a seat. We can go swimming in a bit."

"Just as long as we get to swim! We should go to Mako Island." Mia exclaimed, going with Sara and sitting on the couch. It was odd for Sara to see Mia like that. She had not seen anyone moonstruck, as she had been the first one the previous time.

"Ok. What can we do?" Katy asked.

"Just stay here inside no matter what," Rikki spoke. "We already have one moonstruck mermaid. We don't need any more."

"I was already moonstruck once," Sara spoke up. "Do not want again. I am not setting foot outside the door until dawn."

"Good," Bella stated. "If Mia escapes, the three of us will go after her. It's a better plan since we can resist the moon."

Katy and Sara nodded in agreement. The last thing they wanted to do was get caught in the moon. Worse things could happen than just what happened the previous full moon. And, they wanted to avoid that possibility at all costs.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. The girls looked at each other in confusion. "Who's here?" Sara asked.

"You think we know?" Rikki fired back.

Mia just smiled. "A friend is here!" she exclaimed. She stayed sitting.

"Friend?" Cleo asked.

"Open the door! Open the door!" Mia spoke excitedly.

"What is she going on about?" Rikki asked.

"We don't know," Sara spoke up. "Go see who's at the door."

Cleo got up and went to the door. She flung it open to Farley and Blake standing there, slightly breathing heavily as they had run from Farley's house. "Who are you? What do you want?" Cleo questioned.

"Mia texted me. Told us to come here," Blake stated.

"Yeah right. I doubt she did that." Cleo shot back.

"No it's true I swear. She texted us this address." Farley argued.

"Look, I don't know you two blokes at all. So if you could scram that would be a big help to everyone," Cleo was getting frustrated.

Sara suddenly recognized the voices. "Farley? Blake?" She asked, standing up.

The two of them pushed past Cleo, who was caught off guard. "Yeah it's us," Farley explained.

"Hooray for more people!" Mia exclaimed.

"You invited them here?" Sara asked.

"I texted Blake to come and find me. I didn't expect Farley, but more people are always awesome!" Mia replied, smile on her face.

"What's going on with her?" Blake asked.

"She… just had a bit of alcohol to drink," Katy lied.

"I don't believe you," Blake stated, "Something else is going on. I know it."

"Well believe it Blake. It's the truth," Sara stated brusquely. "Now if you could both calmly leave that would be great. And, Farley. Don't ever interrupt my girls night again."

Farley turned to Blake. "Well, they're obviously lying. How do you want to play it?" he asked, letting the girls listen in on purpose.

"I would say close to the chest, but they I think that it's a bit too far gone now. There's no other way around it," Blake responded.

"What are you two talking about?" Sara questioned. Anger broke through her. "Farley, if you don't leave soon, we are going to be through. Get out of here."

Farley turned to face her. It was time for the cards to be played. "Ok Sara. I have to confess something. I actually know what this is about. Mia saw the full moon and that means she's moonstruck." Sara's face began draining of all color. "And, I also know that you, Mia, and Katy are all mermaids."

Silence deafened the room. No one dared speak. It was Rikki who uttered the first sentence. "Oh come on. That's preposterous," she spoke. "There's no such thing as mermaids."

Blake turned quickly. "Cut it out already. We already know about it. No use lying at all." he snapped.

"You too Blake?" Sara questioned.

"Mia told me… Well, she used her mermaid ability to save me from drowning about a week ago. And, that's how I found out." Blake explained.

Sara turned to Farley, shock and confusion on her face. "And… Farley… How? When… did you find out about this? And why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"I found out… When I went to Mako Island because of Mitch's dare…"

"That was almost two _fucking_ months ago! And you've been hiding this from me that entire time? Tell me the whole story! Or, I swear to god we're done."

"When I made my way through the island, I found this cave," Farley began. "I followed it to find a cavern under the volcano with a pool of water in it. I… saw you emerge from it in your tail. I thought it was fake at first. Until, I saw you morphing and controlling water. Then, I knew it was real, that you were an actual mermaid."

"Why did you hide that you knew about it all this time?" Sara was close to tears. She felt utterly betrayed.

Farley got emotional too. He waited too long for this. "Because I wanted to ask you out!" The room quieted down. "I had a crush on you. As basically most people knew, obviously. And, when I saw you as a mermaid, I wasn't thinking about how to use it against you, to reveal you, nothing like that. I couldn't help but think how beautiful you looked. You were confident, snarky, cool, and a mermaid to boot!"

"Is that when you asked me for my help?" Blake interrupted.

"Yes. But not now Blake. Still, that's why, Sara, I wanted to be more confident and attractive. I wanted to date you. And now, it has happened. But, I didn't know how to tell you that I knew for fear of this exact thing happening! What was I supposed to do when I found out? Confront you about it? What good would have come of that?"

"I don't know… But, now it's worse. For two months I thought I had kept my secret, only to find out you've been hiding it from me for all that time! Who else might have found out by accident? What am I to do?" Sara fired back.

"I didn't have a choice! There would've been no other way to tell you," Farley replied. "I even helped Zane deal with you all last full moon. We chased all over for you, finding you on Mako Island. I don't want harm to come to you."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Fine. Ask Zane, he'll tell you about your whole ordeal last full moon. I'm sorry to have bothered you about everything," Farley mocked a bow. In the confusion and anger between Sara and Farley, the others had failed to notice Mia gliding over to the large front window. Farley caught the motion out of the corner of his eye as Mia tore the cardboard off of its place and onto the floor.

"Look out!" Farley shouted, leaping forward and instinctively covering Sara's eyes with his hand as moonlight flooded the room. His hand shielded Sara from the moon's glare. Katy wasn't so lucky, as the reflecting moonlight bounced off the glass table and straight into her gaze. "Cover that window back up. Now!" Farley shouted orders back at whoever would listen.

It was Blake and Rikki that were closest. They jumped toward the window quickly, replacing the cardboard sheet, re-attaching the duct tape to the frame of the window. "We got it," Rikki announced when it was in place. "That was a close one."

All hell had broken loose though, as in the confusion of the open window, Mia had snuck behind and was now running straight toward the back door. Katy was moonstruck, yet no one had noticed, and she just sat there patiently until the distraction was perfect to escape. Sara had shoved Farley off of her, and they were going off on each other about keeping secrets again. Cleo and Rikki were trying to retain order, but it had descended into madness.

It was Bella who noticed Mia make a run for it. "Cleo! Rikki! Mia's going for the water!" The two of them turned toward Bella, and without a word, raced for the back door, but Mia was already halfway through the backyard and toward the water.

"Stay inside! We've got this! Don't go out into the moonlight!" Cleo yelled back to the people still in the living room, as she raced away with Bella and Rikki, closing the back door behind her.

Silence filled the living room. Sara, Blake, and Farley were completely stunned. "Care to explain what's going on," Blake stated, somewhat to Farley.

"Like I know…" Farley trailed off.

"Ha. I would've thought you figured everything out about this mermaid stuff," Sara shot out, dripping with sarcasm.

"I barely know a thing besides you actually being a mermaid. I didn't bring it up at all before now because I knew this argument would happen," Farley replied, trying to be sincere.

"Whatever. You know about it. No going back on it now," Sara stated, shutting herself off.

Farley sighed. "I never wanted harm to come to you," he stated.

It had all gone wrong. The night was turning awful. He never should've brought it up. As they were arguing, the moonstruck Katy edged slowly toward the front door. Farley, Blake, and Sara noticed just as the door slammed shut behind her, sending a bang noise into the living room. "The hell was that?" Sara asked. She quickly turned around, looking to her left and right. "Oh shit. Katy!"

"We have to go after her!" Farley exclaimed, "Come on Blake. We'll grab my boat and head out!"

Blake nodded in agreeance, and the both of them sprinted toward the front door. "What am I supposed to do?" Sara called behind them.

Farley looked back, his eyes wide with fear. "Sara, you have to stay here, out of the moonlight. It's the only chance we have," Farley pleaded, "Please. You have to promise me that you'll do it. Ok? Please!"

Sara sensed the level of caring, passion, yet fear in his voice. And after it all, she knew he was right. "Ok. I'll stay here," She stated. Farley nodded, and he and Blake ran off into the night.

Sara, just slid back into the couch. She felt powerless to help. _Stupid everything._ _This whole night has been terrible. Mia and Katy are moonstruck going God knows where, Farley and Blake know about our secret, and Farley's been keeping that from me for almost two months!_

She couldn't stop it. The helplessness she felt, the utter feeling of pain, and the feeling of worthlessness crept into her. She began to cry. Tears streamed down her face. Years ago, when she began to be healthier, fight back against her bullies, she promised herself she would be slow to cry. She would always fight back against situations of hopelessness like this. In addition, she promised herself from a young age that she would never cry over a boy after one broke her heart in middle school

That night, she cried about both. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about everything Farley had done over the past two months. He could've done anything when he found out about her, yet he didn't. He started working out with Blake to get more confidence to impress her. He didn't ask questions about her too much, as he didn't want to try and upset her about the mermaid thing. And, he had worked to protect her during the previous full moon, unprovoked, although she wouldn't know for sure until Zane confirmed it.

 _He does care about me. After everything, he has passion and care for me. He doesn't have anything to gain from revealing his secret, because I am what he wishes to gain._ Sara paced up and down the living room. _Ok Farley. Tomorrow morning, we are going to have a long talk about things._

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Farley and Blake were in Farley's boat, racing off into the night toward Mako Island, vaguely outlined by the full moon. The conversation was kept to a minimal, as the two understood the task at hand. They had failed to catch Katy before she dove into the canal, so there best option was to head toward Mako Island and see if she had gotten there, as well as link up with Cleo, Rikki, and Bella.

When they hit the beach on Mako, they worked in tandem to pull the boat out of the water, and they headed inland, with Farley pulling out a torch to light the way. "You sure you know where you're going?" Blake asked as they went into the jungle. "I haven't been here before."

"Without a doubt. I wouldn't forget something like this," Farley replied. Soon, they made their way up to the outcropping, with the tunnel clearly visible under the torch light. Farley nodded to Blake, and the two of them went in, one after another.

Upon landing, they made their way into the Moon Pool room, only to see the light show and bubbling water. Mia and Katy were in the center of the pool, with Cleo, Rikki, and Bella standing off to the side on dry land, watching it unfold. "What's going on?" Blake asked to Farley.

"I don't know. Zane only told me avoid that as much as I can." Farley replied. "It can only mean bad news."

Within a few moments, the lights had ceased, and Mia and Katy fell onto their backs in the water unconscious. "Are they alright?" Blake asked.

"Mostly so. They'll be awake tomorrow just fine. They won't remember anything after being moonstruck, but still it is kinda a scary situation." Farley said.

Cleo, Rikki, and Bella looked over, noticing Farley and Blake standing around at the entrance to the cavern. "What are you two doing here?" Cleo questioned, stepping toward them.

"We were following Katy in my boat," Farley explained. "Figured she'd come here."

"Oh yeah? And what about Sara?" Rikki asked.

"She's fine. She promised to stay inside. Although I do feel bad about leaving her back home. We had to go after Katy," Farley responded. "We had to try something."

Silence came over the cavern, as they watched over the pool with the two mermaids in it. Cleo spoke up after a minute. "This may go without saying, but neither of you both can speak a word about them being mermaids. Not only does it put them in danger, but it'll affect the three of us as well."

"We're not that stupid," Blake replied. "Mia saved my life. I'm not gonna just forget that by easily giving up her secret."

"You can trust us," Farley confirmed.

Rikki smirked. "Ha. Everyone says that."

"You've proven your loyalty for now I suppose. But, how will that play out in the following months or years. That remains to be seen," Bella stated.

"So what happens now?" Farley asked.

"Go home," Cleo stated. "We've got this from here. Rest up. You'll probably have to deal with them all tomorrow, pissed off or not. But for now, go get some sleep. But talk to them tomorrow about everything. They deserve that much."

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Sara woke up the next morning, stiff and sore. She had slept on the couch not too long after everyone had left. It felt lonely, but she knew she just needed to make it through the night and she would be fine. Now, in the morning she looked around, but no one else was back yet. She lay back down, disappointed. _I still feel helpless. They're all out there somewhere, yet I'm still stuck here. At least the sun is most likely up by now._

Not five minutes later, the front door burst open, and in walked Cleo, Rikki, Bella, Mia, and Katy, tired but undeterred. Sara jumped immediately up from the couch when she saw them. She ran over, pulling Mia and Katy into a big group hug. "I'm so glad you two are ok. Last night was crazy." She stated.

"Sara… you're hurting us," Mia quipped.

Sara let them go, standing back a step. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused and tired. But overall we're doing ok," Katy replied.

"A lot changes from here on out," Sara stated. "I've decided I'm not going to be mad at Mia for not telling us about her saving Blake's life, as apparently I was the first to lose our secret to someone else."

Mia turned her head downward, slightly embarrassed about not talking about saving Blake's life while revealing she was a mermaid. "Let's not talk about that," she stated. "We can only go forward from here. But wait, hold up, who did you lose your secret to?"

"Farley. But that's not important now. It's all fine"

Cleo spoke up. "Whatever you decide to do today, go home and get some sleep first. We've all had a busy night and it's important to be rested."

The girls went about packing up their belongings, getting ready to leave. Sara noticed Mia and Katy were a little worse for wear, and still had that look of confusion and exhaustion like after the previous full moon.

Cleo pulled Sara aside. "You need to have a talk with Farley. It's important that you two can openly discuss things like you being a mermaid," Cleo stated.

"I suppose that's right. I just… I feel so weird that he's known about me for almost two months now." Sara replied.

"Even so, he wanted to know about you. He fought for you. And I think he still hasn't show how much he really does care for you. But please, just talk to him. Better that you two have an understanding," Cleo affirmed. Sara nodded. She knew it was important to talk to him soon. "To make you feel better, I lost my secret to Lewis in the first week as well. So you're in good company."

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A few hours later, Sara stood outside the door to Farley's house. She gulped, her hand hesitating at the door bell. After a tense moment, she rang it. It took five seconds for Farley to appear at the door, looking straight at Sara. "Hey… So, I think we should probably talk about some things and last night…" he spoke.

Sara managed a half-smile. "I couldn't agree more."

 **This was one of my favorite chapters to write, so I hoped you guys loved it! Stay tuned for the fallout next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: To Talk Openly

**Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Now, back with chapter 16.**

 **Chapter 16: To Talk Openly**

Sara and Farley sat next to each other along a secluded beach. It was the best place to talk openly without risk of eavesdroppers or watchers. They stayed silent for a few minutes,watching the waves roll onto the beach. They both were unsure of what to say. The night before had been stressful for the both. So much had been revealed, and the two of them didn't know where to begin. Eventually, Sara spoke up. "Why didn't you tell me earlier that you knew that I was a mermaid?"

"When I found out about the whole thing, we barely knew each other. Sure, we talked on a few occasions, but we were barely acquaintances at the time. I couldn't just walk up to you and tell you that I knew." Farley explained. "Last night seemed like the best time of any to talk about it. With the full moon, Blake and I were worried about you three girls."

"He mentioned that was the day you asked to start doing workouts with him, so you were doing it just to impress me?"

"Sounds silly I know putting it that way. And I know everyone just says like 'oh just be yourself and it'll all work it!' But, if I could build up my confidence, I knew I could have a chance to ask you out."

"I was gonna say you could've been just yourself," Sara giggled. "But even so, it seems to have worked out either way."

"Anyway, like I said, you seemed like an awesome girl. And I knew if I revealed right that day, my chances would be over. So, I had to play it close to the chest if I wanted to be able to date you."

Sara placed her arm on Farley's shoulder. "Well, you haven't ruined everything yet. Plenty of time still to do that," She joked. Farley smiled. He leaned in and kissed her. "I'm pretty sure you have a lot of questions about the whole mermaid thing." Sara spoke when they released.

"Actually," Farley pulled out his phone, "I started writing down questions in my phone over the past two months to ask you. Once we were able to talk openly about it of course. Right now I have… seventy-four questions I've thought of."

"Seventy four? Geez Farley…. I don't know if I can answer all of them. But, ask a few now I suppose."

"Well, the first one I thought of right away is 'Were you born this way, or were you born normal human girl and transformed into a mermaid? And if so how did that happen? And, was it with Mia and Katy? Or was it…"

"Farley, please. One question at a time…"

"Sorry. Sorry. It's just I've been waiting for this moment for a while, and I want to ask all the questions I can," Farley chuckled.

"Well, I'm from Nebraska, nowhere close to the sea obviously. So I was born a normal red-blooded American girl. I was transformed on Mako Island with Mia and Katy in that pool under the volcano. And, well here I am. Normal girl and mermaid all at the same time." Sara explained.

"It's almost surreal. When I saw you as a mermaid for the first time, I thought I was going crazy, especially when you started manipulating the water. As I watched, I became more and more sure that what I was seeing was real."

"So… Next question?"

Farley squinted at his phone. "What is swimming like? And how long can you hold your breath?"

"How about I just show you?" Sara asked. Farley nodded excitedly. "Ok then, go get your boat and meet me at the waters just off of the southwestern coast of Mako."

Before Farley could protest, Sara jumped up to her feet, sprinting directly toward the sea. She took a few giant leaps out of the shallows, diving into the deeper water. Farley looked on in awe as her orange fin broke the surface, sliding under the water. Still, he had a huge grin on his face.

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Sometime later, Farley glided his boat to a stop, Mako Island's coast not fifty meters from him. He dropped anchor and waited. He was off of the southwestern coast like Sara had said, but he didn't see her. "Sara!" he called over the surf, but he could see no one around him. He stood up in the boat, balancing himself as not to fall. "SARA!" he called again, louder this time. But still, the lapping waters only answered his call.

"Hey!" a voice came from in front of Farley.

"AAHH!" Farley screamed, overly surprised by the voice. He lost his balance, and he fell backward into the ocean. He surfaced, dazed and heart beating rapidly. It wasn't until Sara came out of the water in front of him did he calm down a moment. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Didn't mean to surprise you that much. Maybe you're just a bit jumpy," Sara quipped, smiling at him. Farley looked down to see her fin jumbled by the water's choppy surface.

"Wow… This is… I mean I've seen you like this before, but this is just… amazing," Farley stammered.

"Yeah it's pretty awesome right? Takes a bit for the shock and awe to get over. But, it's still such a cool thing," Sara replied, spinning back and forth in the water almost giddy.

"So, what now? I have some snorkel gear. I can use that and dive down," Farley suggested.

Sara kissed him. "Sounds perfect." And with that, she disappeared beneath the waves. Farley hauled himself back into the boat, breathing heavily. _What have I gotten myself into?_ He chuckled to himself as he strapped on his mask, snorkel, and fins before jumping back overboard.

He looked around a bit under the water, trying to spot Sara. He found her below him, waving up from behind a rock formation. She blew him a kiss, before pulling herself out and out toward the middle of the way toward the surface.

Farley took a big breath, and dove into the water. Sara came up to meet him, grabbing his hand and smiling. She pulled him downward toward a school of fish around a coral formation. She pointed excitedly at it, which Farley only had a moment to take in before Sara yanked him away again. She gestured toward a jagged rock arch, spiralin along the floor, a look of elation on her face. Sara was so excited to finally share this with Farley. Although she was still uneasy about him knowing for so long, she knew she had wanted to tell him eventually. Now that he knew, it made everything so much simpler.

Soon, Farley pointed upward, signalling he needed to breathe. Sara pulled him upward, breaking the surface of the water. Farley took a few big gulps of air, getting his lungs back. "You ready again?" Sara asked. Farley nodded, and they went under the water again.

Over the next quarter hour, Sara and Farley swam around the area around Mako Island, with Sara showing Farley all that she knew about the sea around that area. Farley had to surface every minute, gathering another lungful of air and diving again into the surf.

Eventually, they surfaced, with Farley taking a bit longer to get his breath back. "This is… hard…" he stuttered between breaths. "Give me a minute." A minute went by before Farley put his thumb up.

"I got an idea," Sara stated, grabbing Farley's hand again. "Follow me."

"Do I have a choice?" Farley quipped. Sara just rolled her eyes before disappearing, dragging Farley with her. Sara wasted no time, yanking Farley downward in the direction of the rock face of the island.

A moment later, Sara came upon the cave to enter into the Moon Pool. She grinned, pulling Farley behind her. Farley noticed the large sea cave, questioning what it was.

With light above them, Sara pulled up, surfacing into the Moon Pool, with Farley right beside her. Farley looked up in awe at the cavern. "So that's how you get in here from the water," he noted. "It's amazing."

"I know right?" Sara smiled. "Although to be fair, I wish you were a merman. That would make it so much easier for us to swim together, rather than you having to resurface every minute because you can't hold your breath."

"Nothing I can do about that. Yet still, it's awesome to see the ocean floor from your perspective. It's so beautiful. And to think you're scared of the ocean," Farley joked, referencing her lie about hating the sea.

"Oh hahaha. You know I was just covering for myself for that one," Sara replied.

"And that's why I forgive you for lying," Farley quipped. The both of them laughed about the stupidity of the whole thing.

Farley leaned back against the wall of the pool. "I can see why you love this place so much. It's so peaceful, even for me being a normal human," he complimented.

"Hey, I am a normal human," Sara protested sarcastically.

"Ok fine. You are a normal human girl who just so happens to grow a mermaid tail when you touch water. Happy?" Farley stuck out his tongue in jest.

"That's better," Sara responded comically. She pulled herself closer, kissing Farley upon the lips. She felt happy here with him, finally being able to share her secret. They remained in contact for a few minutes, getting lost in their kiss.

"Ugh… Get a room," came a voice from behind Sara. Sara broke away and rolled her eyes. Only one person had that snarky tone of voice. She turned over to see Mia and Katy appearing behind the two of them, moving toward the edge of the pool.

"Is this not a good enough room?" Sara fired back.

"Not when all three of us share this place," Mia quipped. "Nice to see you two getting along though. Especially with what happened last night, from what I hear. Not that I know being moonstruck the entire night."

"Well, it was interesting to say the least," Katy joked.

"So… Now, Blake and I know about all three of you. What happens next?" Farley spoke up, finally getting a chance to discuss with all three of the mermaids.

"We boil you alive?" Mia suggested, trying to be funny. Farley crawled backwards, fear showing on his face. "Ugh. I'm just kidding Farley. Chill, it's alright."

"You could've fooled me. I figured you would've done anything to protect this secret. But believe me, I have no intention of revealing any of this. And, based on Blake's story about you saving him, I doubt he would ever talk about it as well," Farley continued.

"I'm glad we can trust you," Sara spoke, reaching out and kissing Farley again, much to the spite of Mia and Katy. But, that was exactly what Sara had intended.

"Geez, give it a break," Mia stated.

Sara broke away again. "Oh please Mia, you have a boyfriend as well. I'm guessing you would do the same, even in here," Sara quipped.

"I'm just trying to save poor Katy from it all," Mia responded. "That is, if she's actually gotten away from Mitch."

"Don't worry, I haven't talked to him since you told me to stop. I'm loyal to you all. He won't be a problem anymore. I promise that," Katy spoke up.

"Even I think that's a good thing," Farley interjected. "No matter what Mitch may have told you, he seems to be bad news."

"Maybe so," Katy replied, "Either way, unless Mitch pulls drastic measures, I'm done with him."

"We're proud of you Katy," Sara spoke. "It's not easy to give up a guy."

"Team Mako comes first no matter what," Katy smiled.

"Wait, you guys actually named your little mermaid club here Team Mako?" Farley laughed at it. Sara launched a wave of water at his face, drowning out the laughs and leaving Farley coughing and sputtering.

"Well, if you were a merman and part of our group, you'd get to influence the name," Sara quipped. "Since you're not, buzz off about it."

"Ok…. Ok… I won't talk about it…" Farley answered between coughing.

"Good boy," Mia quipped. "You're already teaching him manners Sara. Well done."

"He's got to learn his place among us mermaids," Sara joked back. Farley just shook his head, a bit embarrassed.

"This actually worked out ok I'd say, even with the whole full moon thing last night," Katy put in.

"Really? Why do you think that?" Mia asked.

"Well, we now know that Blake and Farley know about us. They won't reveal our secret. They're two new allies for all three of us. Also as well, you two don't need to hide your mermaid selves anymore to them, as Sara is making it obvious now," Katy explained.

"You know, you're actually right," Sara replied. "You won't say anything about us right Farley?"

"I'm… afraid to say anything now…" Farley joked. "But, your secret is absolutely safe with me and Blake. We both talked a lot about it last night, and we would never reveal you all."

Sara kissed Farley quickly. "And that's why I like you." She spoke.

"So where do we go from here?" Mia asked.

"Continue as normal I think," Sara added. "Well, as normal as we can do while being mermaids. Again, we have to be more prepared for the next full moon. And, even though it's still another four weeks away. It remains to be seen. We've gone through two already, and both have not gone well."

"Seemed to go ok from my perspective," Farley added cheekily.

"Oh yeah? And you don't become hypnotized when you look at the full moon, forgetting everything until morning like we do. So of course it would seem ok from your perspective," Mia fired back.

"Just trying to add some optimism," Farley quipped.

"But even so, let's enjoy it. It all worked out ok," Katy spoke again. "And, it seems that Team Mako has grown from three to five."

"We're all in this together," Sara spoke.

"Blake and I will go to bat for you no matter what," Farley added.

"Ok. Team Mako is still in business," Mia concluded. "Whatever happens from here on out, the five of us will always have each others' backs."

The girls cheered, happy at the new day. Farley just chuckled. No matter how silly it all seemed, he was happy to be a part of it, especially with Sara.

 **I hope you all have a wonderful 2018. As always, make sure to follow the story to get notified about all new chapters.**


	17. Chapter 17: Something Drastic

**Chapter 17: Something Drastic**

Five figures stood in front of the high school a week later. Sara, Mia, Blake, Katy, and Farley all walked in together as a group. Sara had to admit, much to her own annoyance, that she loved being able to talk to Farley openly about her being a mermaid. Whenever she had free time away from school and the girls, she and Farley would go out to the ocean. He would usually stay around or in his boat, as he couldn't breathe underwater, and he didn't have any scuba gear. It was ok with Sara. She was happy to show off her abilities for him.

Katy still felt left out, being the only one in their group not being a part of a couple. She was a constant fifth wheel. But still, she had to admit that sometimes she liked being slightly a bit cheeky with both of the couples. Farley and Sara were holding hands, as well as Mia and Blake. Katy just held onto her bag, walking in pace with the other four.

"What's the plan for this weekend?" Sara asked to the group.

"You don't have any plans for just you and Farley, forgetting about the rest of us?" Katy quipped, elbowing Sara.

"Ha ha ha. Funny. You know, we also can do stuff as an entire group ya know. We wouldn't want you to be left out," Sara joked back.

"Oh just wait. I'm actually going to get a real boyfriend this time. Not sure when it'll happen, but mark my words," Katy fired back.

"Oh? So you're not going to go crawling back to Mitch?" Mia joked.

"He's dead to me as far as I am concerned. I never should've given him a chance. But still, it felt fun to be the rebellious one for the first time," Katy grinned.

"I'm glad you could feel that way instead of your usual, ignorant, and happy-go-lucky self," Sara quipped.

"Although to be fair, if it wasn't for Mitch, I never would've gotten with Sara," Farley spoke, pulling Sara close and giving her a quick peck. "He never would've dared me to go to Mako. I never would've gone and seen her as a… you know what... I never would've tried to go after her, and we never would've gotten together." He pulled Sara tighter to him.

"Ugh, you're making me sick," Katy joked.

"If so, I would've never gotten with Mia either," Blake stated. "If Farley didn't go to Mako, he never would've asked me to help him, we wouldn't have become friends, it wouldn't have motivated me to start talking to Mia again, and I probably would've never found out about the secret either way."

"Maybe a bit of a stretch," Mia teased, but she kissed Blake. "Yet still, maybe we should thank Mitch for bringing us all together."

The five of them laughed at the absurdity of it. They continued walking toward the school, getting ready for the day. Suddenly, Katy's phone vibrated, signalling an incoming text. She read it, her demeanor decreasing. "Who was that?" Sara asked.

"It's Mitch… Speak of the devil. He says that he wants to talk with me, find out why we haven't been talking lately, confused about me and why I've been so distant to him, and so on and so forth." Katy explained.

"You can't seriously think about actually talking to him about it. Face it, he's old news," Mia added.

"I don't know what to do…"

"Tell him to go screw himself?" Sara suggested.

"Ha, no. I just won't respond to him. He won't want me to get in the way of him and Marian anyway," Katy said.

"Maybe he's beginning to see his control fading, and that's why he wants to talk," Mia theorized, "Maybe... he just wants to get you back under his thumb, and him losing you breaks his arrogance."

"Now you're just breaking into conspiracy theory," Sara joked. "But yeah, don't designate him with a response. It'll make him feel too self-important."

"Duly noted," Katy replied, placing the phone back into her pocket. Sure, she wanted to talk to Mitch again. But, even so it would only be playing into his hands.

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At lunch, it was only Mia and Katy sitting together. Sara, Farley, and Blake all had the other lunch period, so it was only the two of them. "Just like old times," Mia joked to Katy.

"It still feels weird. Three months ago, we didn't know Sara or Farley, we weren't mermaids, and Blake and you were not on speaking terms. It's amazing what has happened since then. Back at that time, it was just us two," Katy recalled.

"Even so, it's good to look back in nostalgia at just the friendship between the two of us. Mia and Katy against the world. Ever since middle school it's been just you and me," Mia put forth.

"Yeah, and now we're five strong in our group. It's amazing how things can change," Katy returned. Mia nodded, continuing on her food.

Katy's phone vibrated again. She looked down to see another text from Mitch. She rolled her eyes and opened it up. "Meet me behind the school next to the bushes. We need to talk. Please Katy." it said. Katy pondered it. He had used the word please. It was almost trivial, yet it showed a somewhat humble approach by Mitch. _Maybe he is actually being serious this time._

She stood up from the table to a suspicious look from Mia. "Where are you going?" Mia asked.

"Something's come up. I gotta go. I'll see you in last period," Katy spoke.

"But what…" Mia began, but Katy had gotten up and was already gone. Mia just sat back in confusion.

Katy ambled around the school building, making her way toward the spot where Mitch had wanted to meet her. She rounded the bushes to see him leaning against the building, seemingly nervous. His eyes lit up when he saw her. "You came," he spoke gently to her.

Katy didn't beat around the bush. "Why did you want me to come here?" She questioned immediately.

"I wanted to talk to you, but I had to do it away from prying eyes," Mitch replied.

"Basically, so Marian wouldn't find out about us talking to each other. You're just trying keep the whole illusion going."

"Katy, what has been up with you the past few weeks. You never visit me, you rarely text, and now you're being quite distant and argumentative. Is there something I should know?"

Katy pondered for a second. "My friends, Sara and Mia, found out about our whole 'being together thing' and they don't think it's a good idea."

"Are you going to just think what they think? Screw their opinions. They're probably just jealous of what we have that's all," Mitch suggested snarkily.

"Yeah? Except they both are in happy relationships, and they don't have to hide in private. And then there's you and me. Adding to injury, you still haven't broken up with Marian after all these weeks," Katy scowled.

"I told you I'm working on it."

Katy rolled her eyes. Mitch was lighting anger in her that she had not felt before. "Here's what my friends and I think. You want to date both Marian and I. Her publicly at school, and she's one of the most popular and attractive girls at this school so why not. And then you have me privately, where you can actually talk to someone and connect with someone. You get both of those, the satisfaction of wooing two women at the same time, and support whenever you need it."

"I swear that's not it at all."

"You've done nothing to prove otherwise to me, my friends, or anyone at this school," Katy replied.

"But I promise you, I'm working on it," Mitch spoke, stepping forward toward Katy.

Katy backed up. "Your words mean nothing. Unless you prove it with something drastic, we are done." Katy turned around, stomping away from Mitch, leaving him in stunned silence.

"Something drastic…" Mitch mumbled under his breath.

Katy wanted more than anything to turn around, run into Mitch's arms. But, she steeled herself. She would not allow herself to be caught under him, to be used as his own, then tossed aside like a cigarette butt. So, she continued forward, refusing to look back at Mitch. She would make her own way, no matter what.

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Soon, all of the classes for the day were over, and Mia, Sara, and Katy left their final period in high spirits. They were going to meet up with Farley and Blake at the Cafe soon after. "One more day till the weekend!" Sara exclaimed, "Then a full 48 hours of swimming, beach, food, and no worries about school."

"You sure are excited about it," Katy mentioned.

"And why shouldn't I be? Last weekend kinda sucked, especially with the full moon, so it'll be really good to have a fun relaxing weekend with no drama," Sara explained.

"Agreed. As long as we can get some time away from the boyfriends," Mia joked.

"Not a problem for me," Katy quipped.

"Oh, you're not going to be bringing Mitch around?" Mia asked.

"Well… I actually saw him at lunch time," Katy admitted. Mia shot her a weird look about abandoning her at lunch for Mitch. "He hasn't changed at all and probably never will. I… most likely won't ever see him again."

Sara slapped her on the back. "Excellent decision Katy! Now, we can put all this Mitch business behind us." Sara exclaimed.

"Don't worry Katy. It'll all work out. You'll find someone else," Mia reassured her.

"I suppose you're right," Katy replied.

They continued on with a bit of small talk, making their way through the school grounds. As they approached the gate, a commotion was heard off to their right and behind them. In curiosity, they all turned around. Shocked, they saw Mitch and Marian across the way, yelling at each other. A small crowd had formed around them, eager for a view at the unfolding scene. "What is going on?" Mia questioned.

"I don't know…" Katy trailed off.

Sara turned toward her. "Katy, was there anything odd about your conversation with Mitch?" She asked.

"I… told him that if he wanted me he had to resort to drastic measures…" Katy stammered.

"Well, it seems to be that he's definitely going for the drastic approach," Mia noted.

"I have to find out what's going on," Katy stated worriedly.

"No. You cannot get involved with that drama right now," Sara stated. "I'll go. You stay out of sight. Seeing Mitch like this means he'll most likely want to get your attention and bring you into it. This is what he wants, a drastic show. But you have to stay hidden."

"Ok. We'll stay put and out of sight," Katy agreed. Sara nodded, racing out over the grounds to where Mitch and Marian were.

"...what is your problem?" Sara heard Marian question loudly when she got close enough to hear.

"It just isn't working out Marian between us. I have to let you go," Mitch stated, voice raised.

"I know I'm good enough for you. I'm actually better than you! You can't just break up with me like this!" Marian screamed, face turning red.

"Well, too bad. I'm doing it. We're breaking up Marian. Understand?"

"You're pathetic Mitch! You'll never have anyone as good as me!"

"I hope I never have to date anyone like you ever again.. You're just self-important and vapid. How dare you talk about me like you know me. I'd call you a bitch, but that word isn't strong enough!" Mitch called.

"You never told me anything about you! Yet I'm supposed to act nice and cute? You're an idiot! You'll never amount to anything!"

"And you'll never have any worth in your life. You'll be a thirty year old obese cat lady who will only talk about how cool you were in high school. Face it Marian, you have nothing."

"Why you!" Marian continued into a tirade of curses and expletives aimed at Mitch. Some of the other students began laughing at her tantrum, filming it on their phones. Mitch stayed his cool, a deep scowl on his face as Marian continued, but he refused to say a word or react in any way.

A minute passed by before Marian stopped, steaming. Mitch smirked. "You done now?" he asked casually.

Marian shrieked a scream of pure rage. Sensing a shift in the crowd around her she grumbled, before turning and heading away from Mitch as fast as she could without running. Mitch breathed a sigh of relief. It was over now, he could feel free again. He casually strolled away from the now dispersing crowd, heading back home.

Sara was shocked at what she had seen. Mitch had shown a level of calm and level headedness that she had never seen before. She shook her head before walking back. She met up with Katy and Mia a ways away from the sight of the argument. "What happened?" Katy questioned immediately when Sara returned.

"Mitch broke up with Marian… You wanted drastic Katy. That was one of the most public breakups I've ever seen in high school. Everyone now knows that Mitch and Marian are no longer a thing. And, I think that was probably Mitch's goal," Sara concluded.

"I… didn't want him to do it like that," Katy trailed off.

"Doesn't matter. It happened. Now as much as I hate to see it, you need to go talk to Mitch now and see what in god's name is going on," Mia suggested, "Make sure he doesn't do anything more stupid, and this time involving you."

"Ok. I'll do it. I'll… see what he wants…" Katy decided.

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Katy ran the entire way to Mitch's boat house, reaching in record time. She burst into the front door to see a calm Mitch sitting on his couch, one leg crossed. "What the hell is going on with you?" Katy interrogated.

"Huh. I figured you'd most likely end up here soon," Mitch stated. "I've been expecting you."

"What was that… thing you did with Marian?"

"You heard about that."

"The whole school saw that display! What game are you playing Mitch?! I don't want to be another pawn in your scheme," Katy grilled, frustrated with him.

"You said I needed to 'prove myself with something drastic.' So there you go, that was something drastic," Mitch stated, a scowl developing again in his face.

"That's not what I meant! That was almost too much," Katy said.

Mitch stood up. "Then what did you want me to do Katy? You and I were gonna be over if I didn't do something radical. The only thing I could think of was a public breakup with Marian. That's what I chose. I'm sorry if you disapprove. To me, it seemed like that was the biggest thing about why you wanted to be done with me. So, I fixed the problem," Mitch explained, calm yet the scowl still stood on his face."

"I…" Katy stopped. She was at a loss for words. Mitch was right. She had wanted him to break up with Marian. That was the last thing for Mitch and her to be together. But now… She didn't know. She crossed her arms. "Well, good for you. I suppose that means you're gonna be dropping your whole jerk demeanor at school," She continued eventually.

"That's right. A whole new Mitch will see the light of day. I was hoping… that a new girl would be by my side."

"You mean me I assume," Katy stated.

"Without a doubt. You were right. I never should've waited for this. God, it felt so good to get rid of her. She was never a good person," Mitch replied.

"I… I waited for this moment… Until I was sure it was never going to happen," Katy began. "But now, that it has happened, I don't know what to think."

Mitch stepped toward her. "You wanted this. And, now I'm all yours. You did it Katy. With the fear of losing you, I was able to step out of my shell."

Mitch came within inches of her, leaning over till their faces were a hair's breadth apart. Katy couldn't hold it in any more. She reached upward, pulling Mitch toward her, bringing him into a passionate kiss. Mitch didn't resist, he wanted her as well. Their kiss was long and full of affection.

When they finally broke apart, the two of them stared into eachothers eyes. Mitch spoke up first. "When should we go public as a couple?" he asked.

"Not tomorrow. Wait till Monday after the weekend. It'll give Marian a few days to cool down. At least I hope so…" Katy conceded.

"Ok. Monday." Mitch agreed.

They both stared into each other's eyes and smiled. It was so good to finally be able to be together. And despite the drama, Katy could barely contain her excitement, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

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"So we're a couple now I guess," Katy spoke to the group. It was the next evening, a Friday, and the three mermaids were laying in the moon pool. Farley and Blake sat on the edge, their feet dangling into the warm waters. "We're waiting to go official at school till Monday. It'll give some time from his break up with Marian."

"Good luck. It would suck to get on her bad side. That happened to me without even trying," Sara mentioned.

"I'll be careful about it," Katy spoke. "But even so, we now all have boyfriends."

Sara instinctively reached for Farley beside her, and they held hands. Mia did the same with Blake. "But, Mitch doesn't know you're a mermaid right?" Farley asked.

"Of course not. I haven't told him at all about that," Katy stated.

"Don't you dare do it. Ever," Mia warned.

"She's right," Sara agreed. "If anything, Mitch has proven that he's unpredictable. There's no telling how he would react to the news."

"But Farley and Blake know about you two," Katy retorted.

"Well... " Sara began. "Farley found out by accident and proved he could keep the secret for months. And Mia saved Blake's life, and Blake probably won't forget that anytime soon." Farley and Blake both nodded in agreeance.

"Ok. I won't tell him about it. I'll need him to show his complete loyalty to me before I would consider showing him," Katy conceded.

Sara yawned, stretching into the air. "Don't tell me you're tired already," Mia quipped.

"Nah, just relaxing from the week," Sara admitted.

They chuckled together. It felt good for the five of them to be there together, free from any stresses of school or home. Then, a familiar shape came through the cave. It was then that Rikki surfaced in the Moon Pool, much to the surprise of everyone there. "Looks like it worked out with those two," Rikki stated, motioning to Blake and Farley.

"You could say that," Sara replied. She grabbed Farley's hand. Mia and Blake did the same, showing their togetherness.

"Oh stop, you're gonna make me sick," Rikki joked. "But seriously, you two cannot take this secret lightly. It's important that you never speak of it outside of this group."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Farley affirmed.

"No way in hell would I ever reveal them," Blake stated in agreement.

Rikki smiled. "Well, then you have my blessing. All of you. I may have doubted you before. But, you all show a lot of resilience."

"What? Is Rikki Chadwick getting soft now?" Mia questioned in a mocking tone.

"Don't push it. Although, I gotta say. Cleo, Bella, and I are going to be returning to San Diego in less than two weeks, right before the next full moon," Rikki explained.

"So soon?" Katy asked.

"We have to go back to University. We may be mermaids, but we still like to have normal lives, as much as we can anyway," Rikki added. "Remember to look out for each other. If you ever need anything, you'll have Zane here. He's got a lot of resources after knowing us for years. Perfect for new mermaids like yourselves."

"I just wanted to say thank you," Mia stated suddenly. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot. But, I'm glad we all had this opportunity."

Rikki smiled at Mia's humility "Now who's the one getting soft," Rikki bantered. She nodded, before disappearing below the surface of the pool. She shot away from Mako, leaving the five remaining people to contemplate of what it might mean.

"Tough to think they're leaving soon," Sara shrugged.

"I don't know those three as much as you all do, but still, it seems like they've only wanted to help you all," Blake added.

"Maybe so, it feels better when we'll no longer have to share this Moon Pool," Mia put in. "We'll be the only mermaids around here then." The five of them smiled. This secret was a great thing between them, and they were happy in it.

"Oh!" Sara remembered. "By the way, my dad is making his famous chili tonight. He invited you girls to come over for dinner as well. Sorry boys, my parents said no boyfriends allowed."

Farley and Blake just looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright fine," Blake spoke. "Come on Farley, let's head out. We'll find something else to do."

Farley nodded. "Sounds good to me," he replied. Farley reached down and kissed Sara quickly, and then stood up out of the pool. Blake kissed Mia and stood out as well. They said their goodbyes and left the cavern.

"Let's go get some food. I'm hungry," Sara stated. And the three of them raced off toward the mainland.

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Sara, Mia, and Katy walked up toward Sara's house in high spirits. "I'm telling you guys, you'll love my dad's chili. It's delicious. He's been tinkering with the recipe for years." Sara spoke, absolutely giddy.

"From the way you've been raving about it, I hope it's good enough to cure cancer," Mia joked.

"Oh lighten up Mia," Katy spoke up. "It'll probably be delicious."

"Let's go!" Sara exclaimed, stepping up to her front door and throwing it open. The three of them entered quickly.

Sara froze two steps into the living room. Her mom was sitting on the couch, looking at the television. But, there was a girl next to her. In her, Sara saw the past, and memories hit her, all throughout middle school and the first year of high school. The girl was chubby with platinum blond hair. She had a cheerful smile when she saw Sara. "Oh my god Sara! You're here! It's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed.

Sara knew who she was, a blast from the past. "Oh… Hey Jenny…" She spoke.

 **So, I wanted to address something about the story. A lot of people are asking whether or not Emma will be in the story. The answer is yes. But, it may not be for a while. But, I promise that Emma will be present in the story at some time.**


	18. Chapter 18: Happiness in Life

**Chapter 18: Happiness in Life**

Jenny Sorensen stood up quickly, waddling toward Sara. She pulled Sara into a large bear hug, bringing her close. "It's so good to see you again," Jenny spoke, full of cheer.

"It's...nice to see you too Jenny," Sara replied, almost indifferent. She felt a bit guilty. She hadn't even bothered to remember Jenny that much since coming to Australia, despite being best friends with her for many years. Sara had a new life now. And she was closer to Mia and Katy now than she had ever been with Jenny. But even so, why was she here?

Jenny let Sara go, looking her up and down. "Have you been doing anything special with your makeup?" Jenny asked.

"Uh… no… Just the same old Sara. Nothing special," Sara stated quickly.

"Are you sure? Your face, it's just glowing. Guess Australia is changin' ya, hahaha. Just don't forget your Nebraskan roots!" Jenny quipped.

"I mean, I guess," Sara came out with. She really didn't know what to say. _Why the hell is Jenny here? In Australia?_

"And these are your new Aussie friends?" Jenny asked, motioning to Mia and Katy.

"Uh yeah… Jenny, this is Mia Hobbs and Katy Arlington. Katy, Mia, this is Jenny Sorensen, my best friend from my childhood back in Gibbon," Sara introduced them.

"It's so good to meet the both you. I hope you've been treating Sara well," Jenny spoke, jolly as can be.

"We've been good friends to her," Mia spoke quickly.

"You can trust us to keep her in line," Katy quipped.

"Man you guys sound awesome!" Jenny exclaimed. "Say more words! Australian accents are amazing."

Mia and Katy just glanced at each other confused. Sara just facepalmed and shook her head. An awkward silence ensued. Jenny's face turned from amazement, to confusion, than annoyance. She was about to retort, but Sara's dad saved them. "Supper's ready!" He called from the dining room.

"Oh boy food! Your dad makes the best chili," Jenny stated, grasping Sara's arm and moving toward the kitchen table. Sara was just pulled along for the ride. She looked back at Mia and Katy for assistance, but they merely shrugged in response.

Dinner started relatively smooth. All six of the guests ate their fill. Conversation was kept to a minimum, much to Sara's relief, as everyone was engrossed in eating the chili. Jenny was the first one done with her bowl, sliding it forward. "So, Sara, what have you been up to in the past few months? Tell me everything. And I hear you have a boyfriend? You have to tell me! What has been going on?" Jenny rambled.

Sara almost choked on a spoonful of chili at Jenny's sudden line of questioning. She coughed and sputtered for a moment, regaining your composure. "What do you want to know?" she spoke carefully, trying not to start another coughing fit.

"Give me details of the last few months. I wanna hear about it all," Jenny leaned forward, ready to catch the gossip from Sara's mouth. Sara leaned back, unsure of how to even begin to answer Jenny's question.

"I…" Sara looked at Mia and Katy for support. They had looks of skepticism on their faces. _Yeah yeah yeah. I know not to talk about mermaid stuff._ Sara mentally noted. "Not much really special has happened. I met Mia and Katy, and we became friends. My school is going ok. The beach is cool."

"Oh come on, I know there's more exciting things to talk about then that! You're living on an entirely different continent" Jenny complained. "Tell me about your boyfriend! What is he like?"

All eyes were on Sara now. "He's pretty cool I'd say. His name's Farley. He lives across the street. He had a crush on me, and eventually I had one on him. Now we're dating."

"Come on spill! I know when you're hiding things from me Sara," Jenny spoke. "Tell me what's really going on. Why are you being so dismissive? It's me! Your best friend!"

"Jenny, just drop it. Everything is fine. But, we're at dinner. You can't expect me to talk about everything right here and now, especially since we haven't seen each other for three months," Sara tried to explain.

"Oh come on. Just tell me already!"

"Hey why is your shirt already dry…" Jenny trailed off, but Sara was already on the main floor and didn't hear. Sara's parents were beginning to put away the dishes when she returned. Mia and Katy were sitting in the living room, talking to themselves. They stood immediately when Sara returned.

"What the hell is going on?" Mia asked quickly and quietly.

"She's being an annoying bitch, but everything's ok. She didn't see anything. Make no mention of it," Sara whispered.

Just then, Jenny shuffled down the steps to return to where Sara, Mia, and Katy were standing. "Sara. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for spilling water on you," Jenny stated. "Is everything ok? Despite all that commotion."

Sara sighed. Jenny had once been her best friend. There wasn't a need to harbor any animosity. "It's ok Jenny. I promise. But, let's talk." Sara responded.

The four of them sat down. Mia and Katy sat across from Sara and Jenny. Both Mia and Katy wanted to support Sara, but seeing that she and Jenny were once best friends, and they didn't want to get in the way of that. Sara spoke first. "Jenny, why are you here in Australia?"

"My family and I decided to take a vacation here in Australia. We were gonna road trip around the continent, starting in Brisbane. But, due to a problem with flights out of LA, I was sent ahead, while my parents had to stay behind for a later flight. Your parents promised to pick me up from the Brisbane airport when I arrived today," Jenny explained. "And tada! Here I am right now!"

"And you didn't tell me you were coming?" Sara questioned.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. So, surprise!" Jenny grinned. "We would have this weekend at least together, just like old times."

Sara faltered. She didn't know what to say. "Jenny, you do realize that these aren't old times anymore. You will go back to America, and I'll still be here in Gold Coast." Sara stated after a moment.

Jenny just shrugged melancholically. "Yeah I know. It's just lonely back in Gibbon without you."

Guilt ripped through Sara. Here she was, living a happy life in Australia. She had two awesome best friends, a boyfriend, and she was a mermaid. And Jenny? She was stuck in a small town, with nothing but a few cows and pigs to keep her company. "I'm sorry Jenny. But, I'm here now. There's not much we can do." Sara put in.

"I was at least hoping we could have this one last weekend together as best friends before I continue my vacation with my family and I leave," Jenny pleaded.

Guilt hit Sara a second time. She knew she wanted to make Jenny feel happy, if only for a weekend. "I… suppose this weekend shouldn't be a problem," Sara conceded, glancing at Mia and Katy who gave her looks of encouragement.

Jenny lit up again. "Thank you Sara. This will be the best weekend of your life." Sara knew it wouldn't be, but seeing Jenny's smile made her think it would be ok.

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The next day being saturday, Jenny wanted to do everything with Sara. She even woke up Sara especially early, 7:00 am, to go hang out. Sara just groaned and pulled herself out of bed and got ready for the day. She sent a quick text to Mia and Katy, telling them that she wouldn't be able to go for a morning swim or anything for most of the day. They begrudgingly agreed, as they knew that Sara needed to spend the precious time she had with her former best friend.

First step was Rikki's Cafe. Jenny had heard about the impressive and fresh juice in Australia, and she was eager to try it. Zane was working the counter when the both of them arrived, as the Cafe had just opened for the day. "Howdy Sara!" Zane joked in his fake American accent, before returning to his traditional Australian. "What can I get you and your new friend? Are you too good for my cousin and had to go find a new best friend?" Zane laughed at himself.

"Zane this is Jenny. She was my best friend when I lived in Gibbon. Jenny, this is Zane. He's Mia's cousin and he runs this Cafe," Sara introduced them.

"Nice to see that Sara had a life before she came here," Zane joked again.

Sara just groaned completely annoyed. Jenny meanwhile was laughing hysterically. "Just get us two mango juices," Sara mumbled. Zane started working on them, still chuckling to himself.

A minute later, into the cafe came Farley and Blake, having just finished a morning run. Sara beamed immediately when she saw Farley, but quickly contained her excitement. Farley smiled when he saw her as well. "Hey you," he spoke. Sliding his arm around her.

"How are you doing today?" Sara asked after kissing him quickly on the lips.

Before he could answer, Jenny interrupted. "Oh my god is this your boyfriend?" She squealed. She immediately stuck out her hand. "I'm Jenny. I'm Sara's old friend from America."

Somewhat confused, Farley shook Jenny's hand. "And… I'm Farley, Sara's boyfriend." Farley looked back at Sara who just shook her head. Just then, the awkwardness was interrupted by Zane, who called that their juice was ready. Sara stepped away from Farley, grabbing the drinks with Jenny.

"We gotta go. We have a busy day," Sara announced to Farley, giving him a quick kiss, and she and Jenny left the Cafe.

As soon as they were outside and away from the Cafe, Jenny spoke up. "You're doing well for yourself. Your boyfriend is a hunk."

"Thanks I guess," Sara replied indifferently.

"And who was that other guy as well? He's also pretty hot. He looking for an American girl?" Jenny joked.

"That's Mia's boyfriend," Sara stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"Ah damn. Well, a girl can dream!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Jenny…"

"What?"

"Never mind…" Sara replied. She couldn't find it within herself to tell Jenny that she was too arrogant about it. "Your confidence knows no bounds," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

They walked toward the beach, much to Jenny's insistence. Sara understood it mostly. Being they were both from the center of a giant continent, it was quite a sight to see the ocean. Even so, Sara knew that she had to stay away from it as much as possilble. They both sat down on the hot sand, in which Sara guided them to a spot some yards away from the water to avoid any splashes.

"I love it," Jenny spoke. "The ocean is awesome. There's nothing like this back in Nebraska."

Sara chuckled. "Yeah, that's fair. But, even so, you get used to it after a few months. Now, to me, it's just a normal part of life."

"I hope you haven't forgotten life in Gibbon. You've only been here for like two and a half months. Don't tell me you've gone full Australian already," Jenny replied, laughing alongside it.

Sara sighed. "No, I haven't forgotten where I come from. But… I mean so much has happened here in Gold Coast that… I don't know. When I was in Gibbon, it felt like life just happened to me and I had no say in it. But here, I feel like I am in control of my own destiny ya know?"

"I wish I could be happy like you," Jenny admitted suddenly.

The statement completely caught Sara off guard. She wasn't prepared for it as she always thought that Jenny was happy all the time, even ignorantly so. "What do you mean? You've always been happy-go-lucky!"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence in me. But so, within two months, you've gotten two best friends, as well as an attractive boyfriend. You got so much going for you right now," Jenny replied.

 _You don't know the half of it Jenny._ Sara thought to herself, flashing to her mermaid side. "I guess, good things just happened to me," She stated, shrugging it off. "What about you though? Has Gibbon not been good enough?"

"As much as I love it, I feel like not many exciting things happen there," Jenny responded.

"Hey, Jenny. Don't worry about it. It'll all be ok. It's only a small town. Once you graduate high school, you'll have the world for you to explore," Sara chuckled.

Silence came between them, as they stared off over the ocean. Sara enjoyed the lovely breeze coming from the sea. "We're no longer gonna be best friends I assume," Jenny stated abruptly.

"What..? No! I mean…" Sara began.

"Don't bullshit me Sara. I see the way you talk with Mia and Katy. I see how you act with Farley. Everything here for you is great. When, with me back home, life was basically mediocre. Admit it," Jenny proclaimed.

Sara sighed, sadness coursing through her. "I…" A tear flowed down Sara's cheek. "I'm sorry Jenny. But… Here I've found more happiness in life. I'm sorry if that upsets you."

"Oh cheer up Sara," Jenny commanded. "I'm doing fine. And I'm gonna do fine in life." She patted Sara on the arm. "Just remember that I'm doing alright back home."

"Ok." Sara replied. The two old friends smiled at each other.

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It would be inevitable that Sunday afternoon came. Sara was in her living room with Jenny, watching television. They were cracking jokes like old times, even though their time would be up soon. Jenny's parents arrived, having finally caught a flight from Los Angeles, signalling the end of their time together. As Jenny gathered up her belongings, the two of them realized, more than when Sara had left for Australia months earlier, that their friendship wouldn't be able to be sustained. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye," Sara spoke when Jenny stood by the front door, ready to leave with her parents.

"Hey. Don't put that sadness on me," Jenny stated. She smirked, then pulled Sara into a massive hug. Sara didn't resist, and she pulled Jenny harder.

They released moments later. "We will see each other again. Eventually," Sara said.

"I'm counting on it," Jenny replied, smile on her face. "Goodbye Sara."

"Goodbye Jenny." And with that, Jenny waved to Sara, and she left out of Sara's house toward her parents' rental car, ready for their vacation. Sara stared out the window until their car disappeared around the bend.

When that happened, Sara immediately felt lonelier, as if she lost a part of herself. _No. I still have Mia and Katy. I still have Farley. Hell, I'll even throw Blake in there. I have friends, and people close to me. I have a good life here. And I'm going to live it to the best that I can to honor Jenny._


	19. Chapter 19: Complete Shock

**Chapter 19: Complete Shock**

Monday came soon. The day it would all go down. Katy wasn't sure she would be ready for it. It was the day she and Mitch would be going public as a couple at school. She didn't know how Marian would react to seeing the two of them together, considering their very public breakup and meltdown only four days before. Yet, even so, Katy knew that she had to go through with it if she wanted to be with Mitch. She only hoped that those few days would be enough for a slight cooldown of Marian's emotion.

She texted Mia and Sara about it that morning, reminding them that this would be the day. They texted back messages of friendship and encouragement, with Sara warning her about the possibility of retaliation by Marian.

Before school, she raced across the city, making her way to Mitch's boat house, and knocking on the door in rapid succession. Mitch answered promptly to the knocks, although missing a shirt. "Oh hey!" he mumbled, simultaneously brushing his teeth at the same time.

"Do you mind?" Katy asked jokingly.

Mitch walked over to the sink, finishing up brushing his teeth. He slid on a t-shirt and walked back over to Katy, dancing a small jig. "Better?" he mocked.

"Yeah. That's better," Katy laughed. "But come on! We're gonna be late for school! And this day is important for us. We gotta… You know… go into school together. Announce our relationship, so to speak. Ya know?"

Mitch nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I know. I remember. I'm still wondering and worrying what Marian will think about the whole thing."

"Screw her. She doesn't matter." Katy stated.

"Even so, She could be destructive if it all went wrong," Mitch added. "We gotta be careful."

"Well, no matter what, we'll take her on together," Katy affirmed.

"I wish I had your level of optimism," Mitch joked.

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Twenty minutes later, the both of them stood outside the school. Katy looked up at Mitch. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Nope! But now, that doesn't matter," Mitch replied, cheeky smile on his face. The two of them gulped. Katy was undoubtedly nervous, but that wouldn't stop her now. They grasped each other's hands and entered in. This was it.

The school grounds were bustling with people. It was Monday, and the other students were not excited to start the new week. Their boredom was countered by seeing Mitch and Katy together. Whispers swirled around them as they walked toward the main building. "This was a bad idea," Katy whispered to Mitch.

"It's just your imagination. Everything will be fine," Mitch reassured her. Marian had noticed the two of them walking together from the far side of the yard. Anger filled her. She had lost a considerable advantage since her break up, as people had begun to see her as flawed. So, she lay low. A public outburst would hurt her here. She needed a way to get back in popular graces She just had to wait for her opportunity.

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Katy was surprised in her second class when Marian mentioned nothing about her and Mitch. She just was quiet throughout the entire class. Katy thought she wouldn't have to worry about anything. Marian was over it, and there would be no retribution of any kind. That was at least still the continuing hope anyway.

When lunchtime came, she found Mia quite quickly, eager to discuss the events so far that day. "So, what's the situation?" Mia asked. "Marian hasn't killed you yet, so that's a positive."

"I know right? Nobody has really mentioned anything to me or Mitch about it directly. Maybe people have just don't really care enough about it." Katy replied.

"Ha. I'm sorry Katy, but there's no way people aren't talking about it. I've heard people discuss it now and then." Mia joked. Katy put her head down in shame. Mia immediately felt bad. "Hey. Cheer up. As much as I'm still wary of Mitch, you seem happy with him. So, I wouldn't worry about the hateful people. They mean nothing to you."

"Thank you Mia. That… means a lot. And, maybe someday we could all be normal. You know, You, me, Blake, Farley, Sara, and Mitch. All six of us could be just normal couples without any drama," Katy responded.

"Katy. We're… mermaids… Normal isn't really our thing," Mia chuckled. "Also you'd have to tell Mitch about the secret, which you will never ever do as long as you live. And you'd have to convince Farley not to hate Mitch after his whole dare thing."

"Well, that got him started on the way to dating Sara, so it shouldn't be too hard," Katy joked back.

"Yet still, take care with it all. No telling what might happen. Mitch just broke up with the most popular girl in the school. Retaliation might come soon," Mia put in.

"Oh yeah? She also had a public meltdown during the breakup. People won't take her as serious anymore."

"That means she'll be more angry and desperate than ever. Be wary of her."

"I'll be fine. Mia, I promise. It'll all be awesome!"

"Ha, you're always way too happy-go-lucky with life. I'm almost jealous of you sometimes. Except for you and Mitch. I'm not jealous of that. I'm perfectly fine with how Blake and I are going now."

"Awww…. You guys must be so cute together," Katy mocked, putting on a kissy face for Mia.

Mia just lightly pushed her. "Oh, stop it. That's gonna be you in a week now that you have a boyfriend as well. So don't think you're exempt." The two of them laughed together, happy to bask in their collective camaraderie.

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During the other lunch period, Sara and Farley were eating under the same tree they always had. They were sitting close to each other, happy to be together that day. "How do you think Katy's day is going with Mitch?" Sara asked.

"Hopefully ok. For her sake. I'm still against everything about Mitch. But, Katy deserves a good relationship with him. That's the only reason I want things to go ok for them today," Farley replied, still holding on to the animosity he had for Mitch.

"Oh give up your petty grudge against Mitch. After all, it's what got us together, in an odd, twisted sort of way," Sara assured him.

Farley put on a half-smile. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Doesn't mean I have to like him though or his relationship with Katy. I just want him to treat Katy right because you're friends with her."

"But still, be…" Sara was interrupted by two shadows coming into view. She looked up to see Blake approaching. And, right by his side, was Mitch. Sara could see Farley notice them as well and began to scowl. Mitch and Blake stopped directly in front of them.

"Hello you two," Blake stated matter-of-fact like.

"What do you want?" Farley asked flatly. "And, why is he here as well." Farley gestured toward Mitch. "Not looking to be something I want to get involved in."

"Mitch wants to make a truce. Seeing that he's dating Katy now, and she's part of our group, it's important that we can hear him out. So, it's good if we all talk it out together and try to mend fences," Blake explained.

"Mending fences?" Farley mocked. "Ha! No way. Mitch jerked me around for his own amusement. And, now you want me to just give it up and be friends as if nothing happened? That's not gonna happen Blake."

"Come on Farley, I'm trying to change," Mitch added in. "Give me a chance."

Farley stood up. "You think you can just do shit things, and then just feign that you've changed and seem sorry to act like those things didn't happen," he berated.

"Just forgive him Farley. Please?" Blake pleaded. "It'll make it easy on everyone, rather than there being this tension in our group." 

"Why should I? I'm sorry Blake, but I'm not gonna forgive him right now just because you want me to," Farley fired back.

"Farley give it a break with the tough guy attitude. We're trying to come with a truce. Can't you just git it a rest?" Mitch questioned.

"Fat chance of that."

Sara stood quickly. "ENOUGH!" she shouted, entering into their spat. "Farley, everything has turned out ok for us. Don't be so slow to forgive. And Mitch, come on. This is like the first day you've gone official with Katy. Not everyone is gonna lighten up to the 'new you' right away. Blake? Quit trying to be the hero. I know how excited you'll be if Farley and Mitch make up, like you're some goddamn peacemaker. Put your altruism away and relax. Jesus, you three are like squabbling children. All of you, chill out!"

Sara moaned in anger before storming off, leaving the three guys standing there in stunned silence. Farley sighed after a moment. "I suppose, for the sake of everything, I could begin to forgive you," He admitted.

"And I suppose some of my actions are inexcusable. And, I gotta do more to make up for them," Mitch admitted as well.

"I'm glad we can come to some consensus," Blake smiled. "We don't have to be best friends with each other. But, for the girls, we at least have to be acquaintances."

Farley shook Mitch's hand cautiously. He didn't know what Mitch wanted. But, for the moment, he allowed just a slight amount of trust to seep in. For Sara, Mia, and Katy, he was willing to do it.

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The week was a success, considering the situation they were in. At least, that's how it felt to Katy. After the first day, the whispers had lessened, as people just got used to the fact that she and Mitch were now dating. They hung out a few days after school, given that she wasn't swimming with Mia and Sara.

"So a good week I assume?" Sara asked in the Moon Pool. It was the saturday morning after Katy and Mitch had gone official, and the three of them were relaxing as the weekend was just beginning.

"Better than expected," Katy smiled. "I love seeing the new side of Mitch in public now. I'm glad he's finally stepping up and breaking out of his shell."

"Farley's kinda forgiven him as well, so our group might just be ok after all, considering how we thought things would turn out," Sara joked.

"You both realize that for our group to actually become a thing, Katy would have to reveal herself as a mermaid to Mitch. Which would be extremely bad for all of us," Mia warned. "If word got out because Mitch can't keep his mouth shut, it would affect all of us."

"He would understand. I just know it," Katy responded.

"I know you're dating now, but you have to give it time before you think about talking to him about it. You have to be able to trust him absolutely one hundred percent before you reveal your secret," Sara advised.

"You know I would never hurt you two just for a boy," Katy replied. "I'll keep it hidden for now. Don't you worry."

"Excellent! I know we can trust you Katy," Mia confirmed.

"There's no rush in it as well to do anything. You're in a great position. You have a cool new boyfriend. We all doubted him at first, and now even Farley is coming around While not friends, he's at least trying to be an acquaintance of Mitch. Things are starting to look up," Sara put in.

"I know right?" Katy grinned. "The only thing is the height difference. He's got almost twenty-five centimeters over me. I gotta stand on my tiptoes to kiss him. Not that that's a bad thing of having a tall boyfriend."

"Well, considering Farley is only slightly taller than me, and I don't have to stand on my toes to kiss him, I'd say that I have the advantage," Sara joked.

"You two are absolutely ridiculous," Mia laughed.

The three of them laid back in the Moon Pool to relax. "What's on the agenda for today?" Katy asked innocently.

Sara groaned. "My parents want to go for a tour through the city, and they're forcing me to go with them. They say it'll be a bonding experience for us."

"To be fair, since we became mermaids, you've been spending a lot of time with us. It's only fair you spend some time with your parents," Katy admitted. "Mia, you and me today?"

Mia cringed. "Sorry Katy. I have a date with Blake today… He's rented scuba gear and we're going swimming around Mako today…"

"So… I'm gonna be all by myself today?" Katy asked, trying to make a joke out of it.

"We're sorry Katy. We'll hang out this evening, when we're all back. I promise," Sara replied, trying to make her happy.

"Ok. I'll hold you all to that," Katy warned in a silly manner.

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A few hours later, the boredom was setting in. Katy watched some TV and dawdled on social media, but it wasn't enough to alleviate the slow passage of time. Her parents were gone that day in Brisbane, and so she was all alone. She grabbed a cup from the kitchen, filling it with water. She concentrated, threw out her hand, and froze the water solid. She smiled, before dumping the ice into the sink. _Is there really nothing else I can do to get rid of the boredom?_ Katy chuckled to herself.

Towards the afternoon, Katy found herself back on the couch, lazily flipping through all the TV channels over and over again, not finding anything good to watch. She groaned in boredom. Suddenly, someone knocked quickly five times on the front door. It completely surprised Katy, who jumped up from the couch in a jolt, falling onto the floor.

She picked herself off of the ground and went and opened the front door, only to see Mitch appear in the doorway, grinning like an idiot. "Oh Hey!" he exclaimed when she opened the door. "How's it going?"

"I… It's going good. W-what are you doing here?" Katy stammered, caught off guard by Mitch's sudden appearance at her house. They hadn't talked at all that day.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by," Mitch replied. "I haven't seen your house before. It looks... exquisite."

"Well, it's home," Katy chuckled. "I guess you can come in."

Mitch followed her into her home, gawking at its interior. "You know, this is a lot better than my boat house," he stated.

"Everything is better than your boat house," Katy joked.

"Well that's fair enough," Mitch replied, chuckling. "But damn, it's a nice house. Your parents must be rich or something."

"Yeah. They're stock brokers, so they make decent money. Although, they aren't home as often and usually on business, so I don't have them around as much," Katy shrugged.

"Hey, your parents are loving and caring…" Mitch trailed off.

"Mitch… I…"

Mitch smirked. "Ah, don't worry about it. I know my story is different than you. I'm happy for you being able to grow up here." Mitch continued walking through, eventually looking out through the back door of Katy's house. "Ah, no way, you have a pool?!" he exclaimed, before striding out toward it. Katy kept up right behind.

"Yeah. It's pretty cool I guess," Katy stated, almost blasé.

Mitch entered out onto the back porch, tall fence all around. He stood, overlooking the pool. Katy stood up next to him, wary about the edge of the water before her, careful not to slip forward. But, she needed to act cool and collected in front of Mitch. "Do you ever use it?" he asked.

"Not really. I used to when I was younger. But now, I'm just not that interested in using it at all," Katy stated, trying to elude the question.

"But why not? You have an awesome pool here. I wish I had something like this growing up. I have the canal true but it's not the same."

"No reason. I just don't like it." Katy stated quickly. The pool edge fell silent, as the both of them stared over the water.

Mitch leaned over, staring at the bottom pool. He wished he had cool stuff like that when he was younger. Yet, he got an awful family and childhood. Life would never be fair, but still he couldn't fault Katy for that. Why did he feel jealous though for it? There was nothing he could do about it. And, Katy had brought him out of his shell. That was greater to him than any pool he would've had in childhood.

"Hey." Katy spoke suddenly, grasping his arm, trying to break Mitch out of his moment of spacing out.

Mitch was not ready for that though. He jumped in surprise. "AHH!" He exclaimed. But, that threw him off balance. Mitch tried to regain control, but there wasn't much use. His body weight was moving forward, straight toward the pool. He did the only he could think to do the rectify the situation.

Mitch grabbed Katy's arm in a panicked reflex. The momentum yanked Katy forward, following Mitch's path right into the pool. _Oh shit!_ Katy screamed into her own head. They both slammed into the water's surface. The disorientation caused an immediate moment of panic in Katy, but she soon righted herself.

She burst through the surface in a hysteria, heading immediately toward the edge of the pool. _GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!_ Mitch had righted himself as well, but he was still holding on to Katy's arm through the ordeal. He felt the panic and tension in her wrist.

"Katy? Is everything alright?" Mitch asked, slightly confused.

"Mitch! Let go of my arm! Now! Let me go! Please!" Katy screamed, desperate to escape the pool.

"Katy, what's going on?" Mitch questioned again. "It's just the pool. If you're scared of the water. Don't worry, I'm here for you."

Katy didn't have time to explain. She reached back with her free hand, wrenching her other one out of Mitch's grasp, who let it go immediately in surprise. Katy grasped onto the sides of the pool, pulling herself upward as quickly as her strength would allow. She tried running as soon as her foot reached the concrete patio surrounding the pool, but the water made it slick, and she couldn't gain traction for a moment. Then, she was up and took three strides.

But, her ten seconds were up. Katy felt the change come upon her. _No! PLEASE NO!_ She pleaded, but it was no use. Her tail had appeared, and it sent her crashing forward, her upper torso landing halfway into the doorway back into the house.

Katy flipped over in a panic, ignoring the pain of her fall. Mitch was still in the pool, but his eyes were wide as he stared directly at her long orange fin that connected to her torso. His mouth was open, his jaw falling. He wasn't moving, just staring in complete shock. For a moment, no one breathed. The silence was deafening, as Katy continued looking at Mitch gaping at her tail. It was all over. Dating Mitch for not even a week, and she had already failed at keeping her secret. "Mitch?" she asked, trying to break the silence.

Mitch slowly looked upward, eventually making eye contact with Katy. "W-what are you?" he stammered, the words barely coming out.

Tears filled Katy's eyes. "I… Mitch… I'm still me…" She sputtered.

"Katy… what… what is this?" Mitch slowly pulled himself out of the pool, eyes refusing to leave Katy.

"Mitch… I'm a mermaid…" Katy trailed off.

"But Katy… How… is this possible?"

"It's a long story…"

"This is… How? I just can't believe it…" Mitch slowly approached Katy, wary of her. He knelt down when he reached where she lay. "Can I…?" He asked, holding out his hand. Katy nodded hesitantly. Mitch reached out and moved his hand across her scaly tail, shuddering as it went along. It felt cool under his hand. It was smooth, but also covered in tiny ridges along the scales.

"Mitch… I know you may be shocked right now… But, you have to know. I'm still Katy. Nothing has changed. Please understand that. Please…"

"Katy… I have so many questions… Were you born like this? Is there like a secret underwater civilization of mermaids? Like the Little Mermaid?"

"What? No… I was born normal, like everyone else. I've always been normal. I just, did something that changed me into a mermaid. There's no underwater civilization."

"But, how did you change? And, what else is going on? And do Sara and Mia know? Are they mermaids too?"

"Mitch, I can explain things. But I need to dry off first. Can you please go get me a towel?" Katy pleaded.

"Right, right. Towel," Mitch responded in a haze, he slowly entered the house, before grabbing one from the kitchen. His eyes were still wide when he returned to Katy, throwing her the blue towel he found. Katy frantically hurried to dry herself off, rubbing the cloth up and down her tail, gathering as much water as she could to get it clear of her body.

Mitch never took his eyes off of her once as she methodically dried her tail. Within a few minutes, the last bits of water were clear of her, and her legs reappeared in a sparkle of light. Katy stood up to face Mitch. His mouth was hanging open again, and he was continually staring at her. "How…?" he squeaked out.

"It's…"

"A long story I'm guessing? Well, we have time, and I don't think we need to be anywhere else right now. So… tell me what's going on. How did you become… This?" Mitch asked, crossing his arms.

"It happened on Mako Island. I found this sea cave while exploring there one day. I… felt like I was drawn there somehow. In that cave, there was a pool of water. Sensing some, feeling in myself, I jumped into the water. Something magical happened to me, the water started bubbling, and lights were dancing all around me. Nothing happened after I left, but… The next morning, I found out that when I touch water I grow this tail… Didn't take long to realize that it turned me into a mermaid," Katy explained.

Mitch scratched his chin. He was quiet for several moments. "What about the others? You're very close to Mia and Sara. Is that because they are mermaids as well?"

"No," Katy answered very quickly. "I'm the only one as far as I know."

"But, they have to know about you right? You're all such good friends," Mitch questioned.

"You're the only one who's found out. It's happened so recently. Like less than a month ago… I didn't want to tell them about it… This whole thing has scared me Mitch. You are the first person who's ever found out," Katy lied through her teeth. She looked downward, embarrassed and discouraged.

I'm sorry I had to reveal you like this, even though it was an accident. I… had no idea. And I don't know how scary this must be for you," Mitch explained.

Katy nodded slowly, returning her eyes to Mitch. A thought entered Mitch's head. He remembered his first night in his boat shed. He felt scared, alone, and meek. That was how Katy must've felt then. He couldn't bear to see her like that, to feel as he had felt not ten months previous. He explained this to Katy. "I want you to know that you can trust me, no matter what," Mitch added, "I would never let anything happen to you."

Katy smiled. "Thank you Mitch."

 **Another Katy and Mitch chapter! I hope you loved it. Now, all three boyfriends know about the secret. They don't seem to be very good at keeping it. Make sure to review what you love!**


	20. Chapter 20: Something to Remember

**Chapter 20: Something to Remember**

The next week had gone decent for Katy. Mitch asked many questions to Katy about her mermaid life. But, Katy only alluded to a lot, without actually giving straight answers. She never once talked about Sara and Mia to him. They were important to her, and so she didn't talk about them with Mitch. Katy didn't say anything as well to Sara and Mia about Mitch finding out about her secret. What could she say to them? They would hate her. No… She had to keep it quiet for now.

When Saturday came, Mia received a text from Zane in the early morning, waking her up. "Hey, meet me at the Cafe today as soon as you can with Mia and Katy. I suppose you can bring Farley and Blake as well _._ We'll need them."It stated. Mia tried to ask for more information, but Zane didn't add anything more. Groaning, she forced herself out of bed, texting as well the group chat of the five of them telling them about Zane's request.

A half-hour later, the five of them walked into Rikki's Cafe. They were still tired as it was early from them on a Saturday morning. Zane beckoned them into the back office. He closed and locked the door when they all entered. "Alright Zane, spit it out. Why are we here this early?" Mia questioned, slightly annoyed.

"So, Rikki, Bella, and Cleo are leaving in a few days to return to The States to go back to University. I thought it would be nice if we set up a going away party for them. Nothing special, but enough to remind them what they mean to all of us." Zane explained.

"Sounds like a fun idea to me!" Katy exclaimed. "Parties are always exciting."

"Everything is exciting to you," Mia quipped.

"What do you need us for?" Sara asked.

"Well… I need your help with setting everything up. I considered having the party at Mako Island, but it's so much more logistically sound to have it here in the Cafe. Also to be fair, that cavern isn't big enough to account for eleven people if they want proper space, including tables for food, drinks, etc. So, I've closed Rikki's Cafe for today, and we're gonna set everything up right in here." Zane continued.

"So… we're basically just your servants today?" Farley questioned.

Zane shrugged. "I'm paying for everything here, so you get free food and drinks and whatever. It's best to have help, so thank you for it."

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Over the next hours, Sara, Mia, Katy, Blake, and Farley were put to work by Zane. He had a detailed list of supplies, food, and equipment needed for the party, including perfect cash amounts to pay for it all. It was boring work, but Sara wasn't going to complain. She liked to be involved with everything. And, although she wasn't the biggest fan of Cleo, Rikki, and Bella, she felt a tinge of sadness to see the three of them go. They were all mermaids after all, and it was better for them to stick together. And, despite it all, she viewed the other girls as mentors to her, Mia, and Katy.

"Where are they right now?" Sara asked Zane after a time, stopping to rest.

"I told them that the Cafe was going to be closed to go over possible renovations and that they should find something to do in the city. So, they decided to spend some time at the Marine Park today for the last time," Zane explained.

"Isn't that dangerous for mermaids to be going to an amusement park where the major theme is water?"

"Ha! You think that's bad? Cleo actually used to work there as an assistant dolphin trainer!" Zane laughed.

"Are you serious?" Mia questioned, overhearing the conversation. "Why are they criticizing us on the importance of keeping our secret safe while Cleo goes out and works with dolphins in a water park?"

"I never understood that as well. But, believe me, I'm glad she left there. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened." Zane explained. "Thankfully, it all worked out ok."

Sara chuckled. "I'd never put myself into a stupid position to be revealed like that."

"Don't be so sure, you never know what's gonna happen in the future. Always keep your wits about you. And don't get cocky," Zane warned.

"Ha. Funny you lecturing people about being cocky Zane," Mia chuckled.

"Besides, we'll be fine! Everyone worries so much about this," Sara assured him as she continued stringing lights around the Cafe.

"With good reason," Zane retorted, helping lift another strand of the lights so Sara could attach it into place.

Just then, Blake, Farley, and Katy burst in, hoisting large sacks of snacks and drinks. "Don't you worry, the food crew is here," Farley joked. They set the bags onto a table and began spreading out the various snacks they had bought at the supermarket.

Soon, towards mid afternoon, the Cafe was ready. The six of them admired their handiwork. The Cafe was decorated with lights, streamers, and a giant "Farewell!" banner placed over the stage. Next to it was two large tables, one with drinks and snacks, and the other with fruit, vegetables, and piping hot pizza recently delivered.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit with this?" Mia questioned Zane.

"Seriously though… They're just going back to college, not leaving for Mars," Sara joked.

"They'll love it for sure," Zane reassured them. "They'll appreciate the gesture. And besides, it's a celebration of our whole Mako team together for one last time for months."

"That… includes us?" Sara questioned.

"And us as well?" Farley added, referring to himself and Blake.

Zane nodded. "All five of you are a part of this now. You've shown your ability to be caring and passionate for this secret, and we all appreciate it."

"When are they coming?" Katy asked.

"I texted all of them. They'll be here momentarily," Zane replied.

Sure enough, not ten minutes later, Cleo, Rikki, and Bella entered into the Cafe followed closely by Lewis and Will. "Surprise!" They all shouted as the group fully entered into the Cafe. Cleo, Rikki, and Bella were clearly not ready for it and jumped back in shock. Lewis and Will only just laughed, as they had been keened into it by Zane.

"Zane? Is this your doing?" Rikki questioned. "Did you actually do something thoughtful and nice?"

Zane stepped up and slid his arm around Rikki's waist, kissing her on the lips. "Of course! Anything for you my beauty."

"Don't give him all the credit! We did most of the heavy lifting anyway," Mia complained in a joking tone.

"Thank you to all of you," Cleo stated generously. The five of them beamed.

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The party went well. The six mermaids and five boyfriends enjoyed themselves through the food, music and reveling over past stories. Sara had to admit, she quite enjoyed it. She felt like she didn't have to hide her mermaid identity to others, as everyone there was quite accepting, and had been for some time. Cleo got done telling them a story about how one night she turned into a siren and accidentally lured all the boys in the neighborhood to her house. All of them laughed at the stupidity of it all.

Sometime during it, Cleo, Bella, and Rikki went away from the main area to their purses. They pulled out three small boxes, each with a dark leather covering. They approached Mia, Sara, and Katy. Cleo cleared her throat. "Since we are, figuratively speaking at least, passing the care of Mako Island into your hands, we thought it would be good to give you something to remember us and your mermaid identities." She spoke.

Mia, Sara, and Katy looked skeptically at the three other girls as one box was handed to each of them. Sara opened hers and gasped. In the box was a small aqua blue crystal, with a leather strap attached to one end. Mia and Katy did the same to reveal the same crystal necklace, although Mia's was scarlet red, and Katy's was a shimmering frosted white color. "How did you…" Sara trailed off.

"We created them using water and food coloring," Cleo explained.

"Cleo used her powers to shape the crystals, and I used mine to cure and harden them," Bella added.

"The color of the crystals is to directly relate to your powers," Rikki described, "Mia gets red for her ability of temperature and boiling water. Katy gets frosted white for her freezing ability. And, Sara gets blue for her control and manipulation of water."

"I don't know what to say…" Mia began.

"Well, Mia's speechless. I'm pretty sure that shows how thankful we are for this," Sara joked in a loving tone.

"These are beautiful though. We'll never forget this," Katy added. The three of them quickly pulled the necklaces out of the boxes, placing them over their heads and around their necks. They admired each other's crystals as it stood along their necklines.

"Whenever you put these on, remember the awesome gift you have and the joy of being a mermaid," Cleo spoke.

"As well, you must not forget your commitment to yourself and each other," added Rikki.

"But, you must also to ward yourself and your secrets from those who would wish to do you harm," Bella finished.

Sara, Mia, and Katy beamed. After all this time, they felt included. Now, they could feel like they were actually a part of something bigger than themselves. And, to all of them, it felt amazing.

The three of them didn't go to the airport on that Tuesday to watch Cleo, Rikki, Bella, Will, and Lewis leave, but they still felt somewhat somber as the days passed. It was almost as if they were even more alone now. They wore the necklaces every day however, feeling the strength and beauty they had in each of them. It was a good time for them.

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Marian was cold, wet, and annoyed. She was sitting in a boat with Aaron, some boring kid from school. Angry from her break up with Mitch, she went off to find a new boyfriend. She couldn't just allow Mitch to get the last laugh. Desperate for the return of power and popularity, she was just waiting for the right time before she would break up with Aaron. He was only a rebound.

Aaron was a decent bloke mostly, with long blond hair. He however loved fishing, leading Marian to be out on a boat with him in the middle of the goddamn ocean. _Why must I do this?_ She bemoaned to herself.

Aaron reached down into his boat, pulling out a large piece of high-tech equipment and placing it on top of the seat. "What is that?" Marian asked. _Like I really care._

"This is a state-of-the-art sonar device. It allows anyone to easily find fish under the sea, where they're located, and at what depths," Aaron explained. Marian drowned out the rest of his explanation. Giving a "cool", "yeah", or nodding her head at important points. "Wanna see it in action?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Well I'm guessing you were gonna use it whether I wanted to see it or not, so go ahead with it," Marian stated flatly.

Aaron smiled broadly, turning on the equipment and placing it in a perfect position at the bottom of the boat. He pulled up his laptop, connecting it directly to the sonar equipment. He hit a couple keys, and a black and green screen pulled up on his laptop. "You see, this thing will provide pictures, timecards, and distances for all objects that come on screen," Aaron explained. "I borrowed it from my father. It'll give the best locations for finding fish"

"Interesting," Marian yawned. Aaron poured over the details coming in from the sonar for several minutes, taking notes and deciding the best spot for fishing.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"What's going on?" Marian asked, now somewhat curious. Aaron turned his laptop so that Marian could see as well. He hit a few keys, and a clear image appeared on the screen from a few seconds earlier. It was a silhouette of a large creature, around the size of a dolphin. But, there was one large difference. Although the bottom half of the creature clearly had a fin, the top half wasn't from a dolphin. It had a recognizable human torso and arms, with a distinct head with hair. It was impossible to make out details of the face as it was only a shadow, but it was clearly something different.

"It looks like a mermaid? But that's impossible," Aaron questioned, utterly bewildered.

Marian pulled herself closer, analyzing the image. This would be her chance. If she would prove this mermaid existed and exposed it, it would bring her the popularity and fame she desired, especially what she lost after her break up with Mitch. Now, she had something to fight for.

 **And thus, the original mermaids' time in the story is over (for now). But they shall return in due time, and possibly with Emma! Stay tuned!**


	21. Chapter 21: Strange Powers

**I'm Back! Even though it's only been a few days. I really hope you're gonna like the next few chapters. The story really picks up speed.**

 **Chapter 21: Strange Powers**

Sara woke up in a panic, sitting up quickly in bed. A cold sweat dripped off her brow. _Where am I?_ She looked around only to realize she was lying in her own bed, in her own home. _But how? I wasn't home last night. I was at Mia's house for a sleepover._ She pulled herself out of bed, only to realize she was still fully clothed. _What happened last night? Maybe… Oh shit, last night was the full moon!_

Sara was awake now, and she scrambled to find her phone, but it was still in her pocket. She pulled it out, quickly dialing Mia. It rang twice before Mia picked up. "Mornin…" Mia trailed off, just waking up.

"Mia! What happened last night?" Sara questioned.

"What…" Then the realization hit Mia. "I… I don't know! It was the full moon right? Ah crap. What did we do? I distinctly remember making eye contact with the full moon, and then nothing. But I'm in my own bed now. What happened?" Mia was fully awake now as well.

"Same with me! Come over now. We need to talk about this. I'll call Katy!" Sara replied. Quickly, she hung up and dialed Katy's number.

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Not ten minutes later, Sara, Mia, and Katy were sitting on Sara's bed. They all three were extremely worried as they didn't remember anything from the night before, and they didn't end up at Mako Island like the previous times. "Ok… What do we remember from the night before? Before we saw the moon that is," Sara asked.

"We were all over at my house," Mia started, "We were watching movies in the basement, away from the moon. Then I heard the doorbell. I thought it was nothing, but I went to go get the door. I made sure to have a hat covering my eyes so I wouldn't see the moon. I opened the door to see… Farley? Farley! He was there! I didn't see the moon at first, but when I turned, I caught a glimpse of the moon reflecting off the granite countertop from the open door. And then… Nothing."

"Ok that's a start. Let me call Farley," Sara put in. She quickly dialed the number, but it went straight to an error message. "What? That only happens if his phone is turned off. And it's never off… Did something happen to him? We have to go find him!" Sara was already up, but Katy grabbed her arm.

"Sara, we have no idea where to even start looking. Let's try to remember more of what happened last night," Katy added.

"Wait, if Farley was there, that means Blake couldn't have been that far behind… Maybe he knows what happened..." Mia exclaimed. She whipped out her phone and dialed Blake's number, but the same error message occurred.

"This is impossible. Two of our boyfriends aren't answering, and last night was the full moon. Something had to have happened. I don't like the looks of this," Sara stated, almost in shock.

"Nobody else would've known… And we're not being dissected right now so it's not like we were revealed to anyone else," Mia added.

Katy gulped. They had no leads, and it was time to fess up now and hopefully see if they could find Blake and Farley. "I… might have something…" Katy spoke quietly.

"What is it? Do you remember something?" Sara asked quickly.

"Well not exactly… But… well… here's the thing…"

"Just spit it out already, Katy," Mia said frustratingly

"Ok… Please don't hate me…"

"Katy, we literally have no idea what you're talking about. Just tell us god damn it!" Sara added, frustrated as well.

"Well, there might be one boyfriend we could try…" Katy mentioned.

"What? Mitch? No way in hell. Besides he doesn't know anything about us anyway," Mia almost laughed at Katy's suggestion.

"Mitch knows I'm a mermaid," Katy stated flatly.

"What? How?" Sara and Mia blurted out simultaneously.

"You let the secret out?" Sara yelled angrily.

"It was an accident I swear!" Katy fired back. She quickly explained what happened, much to the shock and anger of Sara and Mia. "And I told him I'm the only mermaid." Mia rubbed her temples, unsure of what to think. Sara just stared into space, millions of thoughts racing. "Please say something," Katy spoke up, a tear brimming in her eye.

"Call him," Sara stated. "We've got to deal with finding Blake and Farley right now. We can deal with Mitch on the fly. At least he only thinks it's you and doesn't suspect me and Mia."

Katy gulped, still feeling pained, and she dialed Mitch's number. He picked up straight away. "Katy? What's going on? What happened last night?" Mitch asked frantically.

"Mitch, do you know anything about what happened? I don't remember anything" Katy replied.

"Come to my boat house. Now. All three of you. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Sara and Mia are there with you as well. We have a lot to talk about." And he hung up.

Katy turned to Sara and Mia, color draining from her face. Katy stated slowly. "I think he might suspect that you two are mermaids as well." The tears were beginning to form.

"This is a disaster," Mia moaned. "We're ruined."

"We gotta trust Mitch! I know he's a nice guy," Katy stated.

"Yeah you might trust him! But what about Mia and I? And now you've roped us both into it," Sara replied angrily.

"I'm sorry," Katy cried. "I never meant to hurt you on purpose. But please, let's just go talk it out with him."

"Fine," Mia stated. "Let's go have a small chat with Mitch. And if he makes any threats, I boil him alive."

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Soon, the three of them were sitting on Mitch's couch in his boat house. Mitch was pacing in front of them back and forth, stroking his chin in a thoughtful manner the whole time. It had been a few minutes and he hadn't said anything. Sara and Mia looked and Katy, frustrated, but Katy only shrugged, fully pushing back her tears.

"Ok…" Mitch began. "So, I all three of you are mermaids I'm guessing. More than just Katy?" The three of them nodded slowly. Mitch rubbed his temples. "Katy you lied to me. I trusted you."

"What was I supposed to say?" Katy questioned. "I had to keep Sara and Mia a secret. If your trust went south, I could at least save them from humiliation."

"Is that what you think I am? Someone to just sell your secret out for money? I've worked the past year to be better than that," Mitch remarked. "I trusted you with my whole story, yet you kept many secrets from me."

"I'm sorry Mitch! I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't. But can you please help us? We don't even know what happened last night, and Blake and Farley are missing. We think something bad might've happened." Katy explained. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Mitch sighed, leaning against the table. "Ok. I'll tell you what I know from last night. Once you find Blake and Farley and everything turns out alright, I want to have a talk with you Katy. Talk openly about… this whole thing."

"Whatever you want Mitch. Just please, tell us what happened!" Katy exclaimed.

"Ok. So, I was enjoying a nice night in actually. I was just about to go to bed when I got a text from you, Katy, saying that you needed help at Mia's house and it was an emergency. So, I rushed over to find Blake and Farley already there, fighting the three of you. It seemed like you were all hypnotized about something?"

"Moonstruck," Sara corrected, trying to at least attempt to bring Mitch into the fold.

"What?" Mitch looked slightly confused.

"Whenever we look at the moon when it's full, we become hypnotized by it. It's why we call it moonstruck," Mia explained.

"But, isn't the full moon a werewolf thing?"

"Yes and no. Mitch, please, just continue the story," Katy pleaded.

"So… you were all… moonstruck I guess? You were all acting bizarre. I questioned what was going on. I asked Blake and Farley, who were trying to handle you all. They kept saying it was nothing and I shouldn't worry. But you kept mentioning swimming and Mako Island. That's when it clicked for me. I knew it had to be something with all you being mermaids," Mitch continued.

"Well now that you know, we're all screwed," Mia spat.

"Your secrets are safe with me. I promise. Anyway, I questioned Farley and Blake about it. They at first denied everything, but once I already told them about what I knew about Katy and Mako, and then adding in what I saw tonight they relented. We argued for a bit. Farley still doesn't trust me apparently. But, in that moment, the three of you escaped, and you all ran and jumped into the canal. Blake and Farley raced away, yelling at me to stay home. So I stopped, and they were gone," Mitch finished. "I went home after that. Didn't sleep much though, worrying about you."

"Did you know where they were going?" Katy questioned.

Mitch shrugged. "My guess is Mako Island, so I would start there. But…" Before Mitch could finish, the three girls were out of the their chairs, racing toward the door.

"We'll talk once we return," Katy called back to a stunned Mitch who could only watch as the three girls ran out. They all dove straight into the canal, bolting straight toward Mako Island. Sara, Mia, and Katy focused on nothing else. They had to find Farley and Blake, whatever the cost may be.

The three of them shot into the moon pool, surfacing quickly. Nothing seemed out of place at first. But then, Katy gasped as she saw a man lying face up on the floor of the cave, not moving. "It's Blake!" Mia screamed, and she hoisted herself onto the cavern ground, crawling over toward Blake, her tail slithering behind her. "Blake! Come back to me! Please!"

Blake groaned slowly. He opened his eyes with much effort. "Oh… Hey Mia… Nice day today" he mumbled. But then, Blake's eyes went wide, and a look of shock. He screamed, pushing himself off of Mia, and crawling backward. "Get away from me!" he shouted.

"Blake! It's me! What's going on?" Mia questioned.

Blake had a look of panic on his face, one that Mia had never seen before on him, or anyone for that matter. Something had truly frightened him. His wide and dilated eyes flipped from Mia, to Katy, and then to Sara and back again. He was hyperventilating back and forth. "You all… What are you?" He questioned.

"Blake… It was the full moon… Whatever happened it wasn't us… Please, tell us what went on last night…" Mia pleaded.

Slowly but surely, Blake's breathing returned to normal. "Well… Ok." he began, gradually so, "Farley and I came here to find you after you all escaped from Mia's house. It was storming over Mako Island last night, so we had to fight the wind and rain, but we made it to the Moon Pool. And… You were all in there… and then, rain came into the pool, and then you were all struck by lightning, but none of you flinched. Sara, you reached up and pulled down some whirlwind or tornado or something. Farley stepped to close too it, and he was sucked into it and up into the volcano cone. I tried to grab him… But I was too late! He's gone! He just disappeared!"

Tears streamed down Sara's face. It was all their fault. Farley was gone… All because of them. "What was the rest that happened?" Mia asked.

Blake gulped, a nervous sweat dripped down his face. "Mia, you looked straight at me. And you asked if I was loyal. I said yes. You then reached up. Before I knew it, a lightning bolt came down and hit me straight in the chest. And that's… all I remember."

It was now Mia's turn to gasp. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry Blake," She pleaded, tears beginning. "I didn't mean to do anything."

"I know… I know… I'm feeling better now. Just a little sore. And, I know it's the full moon and not you. But, Mia, this is some scary stuff we're dealing with here," Blake warned.

Sara was still crying behind the two of them. Katy reached back and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry Sara. We aren't going to rest until we find Farley. He's going to be ok, and we're gonna figure this all out," Katy consoled her.

Sara wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ok… Ok… Let's go. We all have been through the ringer today."

Mia sprung into action. She slowly pushed herself back into the pool. "Blake? Do you feel ok? Can you walk?" She asked. Blake slowly nodded and rose to his feet. "Ok, we need you to check the interior of the island. See if you find anything. The three of us will check the beaches and coastline. If he's not there, we'll dry off and meet you somewhere in the jungle and continue searching the interior with you. Understood? Farley's here somewhere, and we're going to find him." Blake nodded more confidently that time, and climbed back toward the cave entrance.

Sara was determined now. Mia had lit her fire. "Let's do this," she stated, wiping away the last of her tears. The three of them went underwater and shot out of the Moon Pool. They raced away, going clockwise around the island. They spread out, with Sara closest to the coast, her head above water to see on the coast.

They were three quarters around the island and beginning to lose hope but then, Sara saw something. It looked like a small human figure, crouching in the trees, almost impossible to see. _There he is!_ She screamed into her head.

 _What the hell was that?_ A question from Mia popped directly into Sara's head.

 _Mia?_ Sara asked to the open space in her mind.

 _Are we speaking...With our minds?_

 _Ok this is getting stranger._ Sara stated.

 _I'm hearing you guys too!_ Katy added. _Something definitely must've happened last night. We have telepathy now!_

Barring the new discovery for Farley's sake, Sara beached herself, with Mia and Katy right behind. She used her powers to rid the three of them of water, and their legs appeared quickly. Sara took lead, and they raced toward the jungle where she had seen the human form.

It was Farley. He was sitting against a tree, conscious but exhausted. He saw the three of them approaching quickly. A shot of adrenaline flowed through him. "Stay back!" he shouted, forcing himself to stand.

Sara, Mia, and Katy stopped immediately in their tracks. Farley appeared frightened, just like Blake had. Sara took a step forward. "Farley, whatever happened to you last night, it was the full moon. It wasn't us. I promise." She spoke softly. Sara made cautious and slow steps toward Farley. "We wanted to find you… We were so worried."

Farley stayed his ground, but still looked fearful, a hand placed outward. "Sara… The full moon…. It turned you almost vicious. You sucked me out of the volcano in a gust of wind! What is going on?"

"I don't know Farley. But I'm here now. I'm never gonna do that to you again," Sara comforted. She was ten feet from Farley, edging closer. Farley gave in, falling forward. Sara leaped forward, catching Farley before he fell all the way.

They both held each other close, tears in their eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Sara wept.

Farley slowed his breathing. "It's ok… I'm alive… Scared, but alive…" They detached from each other. "Sara, we have to get this whole thing under control. That storm last night over Mako... it could've affected you. All of you." He gestured out at Mia and Katy as well.

"We may have some changes about us…"

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Soon, the five of them were sitting on the beach, as Blake had joined them as well. "Ok, so we can definitely say the full moon affected us stronger last night than previous full moons," Sara stated. "For one, it was the first time we were hostile toward Blake and Farley. Previously, we only really showed affection to them"

"In addition, we have new powers. We can use telepathy with each other." Katy added.

"Really? Try it out!" Farley put in.

 _Can you guys hear me?_ Sara projected from her mind.

Mia and Katy just looked at each other confused. "Did you try it? I didn't hear anything," Katy stated. Mia nodded as well.

"But that's impossible!" Sara exclaimed. "When we were in the water it was…" She stopped and pondered. "I have an idea." Sara stood up and ran into the surf, lying down as her tail appeared. She again went into her mind. _Testing Testing! Can anyone hear me?_ She projected again.

Mia and Katy lit up as if something had changed, but no message was received back. After a moment, Sara called out. "Did you guys hear that?"

"We heard it!" Mia answered back. "Did you not hear my reply?"

"No! But that's it! We can only send telepathic messages when we're in mermaid form! It seems as though we can receive them any time, even without our tails, but we can't reply unless we're also in mermaid form as well!"

Katy stood up and rushed over into the ocean alongside Sara, her tail also appearing. _Is this better?_ She asked to Sara.

 _Yes! I can hear you! Oh my god this is amazing! We can talk underwater now!_ Sara exclaimed.

"You know you have to project to me if you want me to hear anything!" Mia shouted from farther up the beach.

 _Come down here then._ Sara sent to Mia. Knowing she couldn't reply as a human, Mia grumbled and stood up, casually strolling into the water, lying down next to the two others.

 _This is gonna take some getting used to._ She joked to the two of them.

They all laughed at the absurdity of it. _You know, that we're down here we should really discuss something. We really did hurt all of our boyfriends last night._ Sara stated _. Katy lied to Mitch, I sucked Farley out of the Volcano, and Mia shot Blake with lightning._

The three of them looked down in guilt. Blake and Farley couldn't tell what was going on because they weren't able to communicate via minds, but they knew that some serious conversation was taking place.

 _We gotta figure out what happened to our powers._ Katy added. _In addition to making it up to our boyfriends. But, seriously, something odd definitely occurred. Sara created a whirlwind of some kind and Mia used lightning._

 _Let's try to duplicate those powers. See if anything's changed._ Sara suggested. _And, although from the boys' memories there's nothing, you might have new powers as well Katy._

 _Worth a shot._ Mia shrugged. The three of them agreed and pulled themselves onto dry land, with Sara using her powers to rid their skin of water, their legs returning quickly. They jogged back up to Blake and Farley.

"What have you decided?" Farley asked.

"We… want to make it up to you two especially for enduring what you had to last night… Somehow, we will right this," Sara stated.

"Thank you Sara. That means a lot," Farley replied.

"Also," Mia began, "Last night we showed strange powers that we've never had before, in addition to our telepathy discovered this morning. We want to see if we can recreate them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Blake asked. "Last night didn't turn out that well when you used them. And, it ended up being aimed at Farley and I."

"We have to try," Katy added in. "We can't just pretend like it didn't happen. That storm alongside the full moon altered our powers, and we have to figure out why."

"Godspeed then," Farley responded. "Just don't aim at us… Please…"

Mia, Sara, and Katy turned toward a secluded section of beach, away from Blake and Farley who looked on in anticipation and worry. "Ok. So, I seem to have some kind of wind power…?" Sara trailed off.

"You don't sound so sure of yourself," Mia joked.

"Considering I don't even remember using it the first time, I'm not even sure what to do! Let alone if it was a one time thing or not," Sara retorted.

"Just try it. It's the only lead we have," Katy replied.

Sara stepped up into position. "Now here's for irony. I was the last one to discover our water powers, but now I'm the first one to use some storm powers," she joked.

"Just do it already!" Mia complained.

"Alright, fine. I'm on it," Sara groaned. She focused her energy. She didn't know exactly how her powers would be activated. She froze for a minute. "Honestly, I don't know what I need to do."

"Just throw your hands out?" suggested Farley, shrugging his shoulders.

Sara rolled her eyes, but she focused again. It could be tied to her water powers, so she thrust out her hands in the same way she would control water. At first, a small breeze blew slightly. She increased her concentration.

A whirlwind ripped across the beach, blowing sand in a hundred different directions. Tiny sand particles whipped around all five of them, and they shielded their eyes from the mini sandstorm. "Sara stop!" Katy shouted above the buffeting noise.

Sara in a shock put her hand down, and the wind ceased, the remaining sand particles falling gracefully to earth. The five of them coughed, trying to clear their lungs of the sandy air. "Ok... " Sara spoke in a moment. "We know now that I can create wind… Magnificent…"

"This is getting too intense," Mia stated. She paused for a moment. "I suppose it should be my turn now?"

Blake gulped. "Mia, you used lightning last night. And, you fired at me no less. You have to be careful," He warned, not wanting a repeat of the previous night.

"I'll be fine…. I hope," Mia shuddered. This was too weird, but she had to see if she had the same power as last night. She moved farther away from the others, wanting to keep them out of any crossfire. "Ok, I'm going to try it now!"

Mia raised her fist into the air, high above her head. She felt a strange feeling of power within her. Focusing on it, she thrust her hand downward toward a spot on the ground. In a massive display, a thunderbolt crested to the ground, slamming into the sand. The force of it blasted Mia backward, and the four others covered their ears as a roaring clap of thunder blasted them.

For a few tense moments, they were all silent. Mia stood up slowly in fear, staring at the charred earth where her lightning had hit the ground. The sand had blackened under the heat of the lightning. She turned back toward the four others. "That was too much… I've never been so scared of my abilities before," she stammered, almost shaking.

"If that was normal, how did I not die after getting hit last night?" Blake pondered aloud. Nobody had an answer for him. Mia returned to stand by Sara and Katy.

"Now it's my turn? But after that, I don't think I can compete with that awesome display," Katy joked, but it fell flat. Nobody really wanted to kid around in that moment. Silence filled the beach, as a casual breeze floated through. "I… don't know what my new power is… Neither of them saw it, and still I don't know how to access it…"

"You have to try," Sara encouraged. "It'll be easier to control if we know what we're dealing with."

"Ok…" Katy stepped forward. She felt strength inside her, and she reached up with her hand towards the heavens. In an instant, a raw power surged through her. She sent it up into the sky. Above them, dark clouds began to swirl out of nowhere, combining directly over them. Katy increased the force, and the winds shifted, combining into a storm above them. She gave one last push from below, and in an instant, pouring rain blanketed Mako Island.

The rain broke Katy's concentration, as it soaked everyone immediately. She, Mia, and Sara changed into mermaids, falling onto the now watery beach. With the connection severed, the rain let up and the clouds dissipated, with the weather above returning to normal.

The five of them remained silent, unsure of what to say. Sara projected telepathically to Mia and Katy. _Here's a new rule. No more using storm powers. We have little control over them, if any._ The two others put their heads down. They knew she was right. No more use until control was found. Destruction could be wrought by those wishing to do harm.


	22. Chapter 22: Research Expedition

**Chapter 22: Research Expedition**

The Galapagos Islands were peaceful. Even so, he was there to do a job. Elliot stood on the deck of the research ship he was currently living on, named the Redemption by the owner who was also the head of the research expedition. He stared out over toward the rising sun, shining off the crystal blue waters below him. It would be another rough day of work, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

He dove into the clear sea, taking a quick swim in the waters surrounding the anchored vessel. Elliot wasn't used to getting up too early, but this was one of their last days in the Galapagos. Soon, they would be taking up anchor, as they would get a new assignment somewhere else around the Americas. He hoped they would be heading back up the Panama Canal and toward the Caribbean, but he was gonna wait till the Team Leader announced it.

He was one of a team of five people on this boat. They were currently doing fish counts and marine life study. Elliot was the lowest on the ladder though, as he was the poor intern, doing mostly grunt work. Fresh out of high school, his sister had helped set him up on this expedition with the Head Research for a fun gap year before University. Apparently they had been old friends or something. He had forgotten his sister's exact relationship with the group leader, but even so, he thanked her everyday for getting him into this position. It was hard work, but it was so awesome to do work like this even before he went off to University to study marine biology. He wanted to make his sister proud by what he was doing.

"Elliot!" a call came from above him. He squinted and turned his gaze upward. He saw Laura, one of the other interns looking down from above on the ship. She was a few years older than him at twenty-one, and she looked after him most times when their leader didn't have time. Laura didn't like being the babysitter, but they did somewhat get along being the two youngest and lowest members of the voyage.

Elliot looked up. "What's up Laura?" he asked cheerfully, treading water next to the boat.

"Doc's looking for everyone. Gonna give out tasks for today. You better get up here soon. You know how she doesn't like it when you waste her time" Laura announced. Elliot nodded, swimming toward the back of the vessel before hoisting himself up onto the deck. Doc was what they called their leader. It started as a joke at the beginning, but then turned into an endearing nickname. She was right around thirty, yet she was one of the leading Marine Biologists, despite being so young. She almost gave up her career a few years before, but she decided to give it a second chance. And now, she was at the top of her game once again.

Elliot grabbed a towel off the rack, quickly drying off his body as best as I could enroute to the bridge where the meeting was taking place. He was the last of the five to arrive, with Doc looking increasingly impatient. She was a tall and intimidating woman with light blond hair and a snarky yet admirable personality. "Did you enjoy your swim, Elliot?" She remarked sarcastically.

"Enough," He replied back. He didn't like to be on the Doc's bad side, as it wouldn't be good for anybody. So he just accepted it. Doc responded by raising one eyebrow before going to her clipboard.

"Alright team. Today is our last day on the Galapagos. We're gonna take our last measurements, pull in our lines, and then, we're going to be leaving as soon as that's done. I've received another assignment. We'll compound and analyze the data en route," Doc explained, handing out daily schedules.

Over the next few hours, Elliot worked with Laura mostly doing the mundane assignments. As the only two interns, they were the ones who were resigned to working the boring and monotonous tasks, which usually involved putting out lines and tagging specimens. Elliot didn't really mind too much. It was great to be out in the open air and in the water.

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It was around three when the most of the work was done, and Elliot and the others began packing all their equipment up for traveling. It could be multiple days to where they were traveling next, so data analyzation was always saved for last, as they could do that while the Redemption was moving to its next port, even though he wasn't sure where there would be.

Soon, Doc called everyone into the bridge once the last of the equipment was stored and the anchor was raised. They raised a toast for a successful research trip, with them pulling out cheap champagne to celebrate. It was more symbolic. The crew loved moving to a new location. It would give them excitement and exhilaration for the new road ahead. Although sadly, the two other scientists would be leaving for their own research, leaving only Elliot and Laura in Doc's employment.

The Redemption pulled away from the Galapagos, heading toward empty water. Elliot remained on the bridge for some time. He loved being up there. If he was lucky, sometimes the Doc would allow him to drive the boat, despite the fact he was the youngest one on this journey.

"Any guesses on where we're going next?" Doc leaned over and asked Elliot.

"I… was hoping we were headed toward the Caribbean…" Elliot suggested.

"Nope! Good guess, but that is incorrect," Doc teased.

"Umm…. Are we going up the western coast of Mexico eventually working our way up toward California?" He guessed again.

"Another good guess, but again, it's wrong."

"Alright, I give up. Doc, where are we going?"

"We're going home for you." Elliot looked inquisitively at Doc. "Elliot, our next assignment is in Gold Coast, Australia. I know you grew up there."

Elliot lit up. "I haven't been back there in years! Are you sure that's where we're going?" He asked, slightly skeptical.

Doc smiled. "Absolutely. I happened upon an assignment there. And since I know that's where you grew up, I pulled some strings. So, that's where we are heading."

Elliot hugged Doc unexpectedly. "Thank you Doc!" he exclaimed, before running back to his room. He had to call his sister!

Doc remained in the bridge, shaking her head and laughing at Elliot. She almost dreaded going back to Gold Coast. Just as it had been years for Elliot, it had been years for her as well. But, she had something to discover there, a truth to find.

She pulled a picture out of the folder in her hands. Most people would think it was fake, especially those who saw it on an internet forum from some random kid named Aaron. It was a clear screenshot from a sonar device taken somewhere along the Gold Coast. The picture was a clear outline of a human torso with a fishy tail extending out of its stomach. A mermaid was there, after all that time. Doc chuckled. _Time to go make some discoveries._ She thought to herself. The Redemption sped away toward the west, with Gold Coast in its sights across the Pacific. Doc just hoped it was a good choice on her part to go there. Only time would tell.

 **So, my shortest chapter to date seems to be one of my most important. And so, the plot is beginning to thicken. Thank you to my most loyal readers for staying with the story :)**


	23. Chapter 23: Futile Effort

**Chapter 23: Futile Effort**

It had been a few weeks after the stormy full moon, and Team Mako was still recovering. The total shock of what they all had experience took a lot to recuperate from. Scared of their new found weather powers, Sara, Mia, and Katy barely used them. Sara decided instead to focus on her water powers. At least she know those weren't dangerous to most people, including Farley.

She stood on the back deck of her house, staring out over the canal. Their family boat bobbed up and down next to her. Her father had begun to call it "The Hayseed" to honor their more small town roots. Sara thought that it was way too corny, but since it was her father's and she wanted nothing to do with it, there was not much she could do.

Sara dove straight into the canal. When her tail appeared, she powered through the water, kicking her strong muscles. She turned outward and began heading for open ocean. She projected telepathically to Katy and Mia. _Testing Testing! Does anybody copy? I repeat, does anybody copy? Over._ She mocked.

Sara laughed, and she at first thought that nobody would respond, until she felt a reply from Katy. _Roger Redneck Girl, this is the Ginger. I read you loud and clear._ Katy returned the joke.

 _How's it going Katy? And, I'm guessing you're in your tail now since you're responding to me._ Sara replied.

 _I'm in the bath right now. And, you're out swimming I guess? Seems early for that on a Sunday._

 _Whatever. I'm just… Nervous today… It's ok, swimming is going to relax me a bit. Join if you want!_ Sara suggested.

 _I'll consider it. Although I wouldn't want to ruin your alone time._ Katy jested.

Sara just shook her head, and continued toward Mako Island as Katy released the contact. She surfaced into the Moon Pool, gazing at the cave walls above her. It was hard to think that around one hundred days prior She, Mia, and Katy had stumbled into that very cave and became mermaids for the first time. It felt like a lifetime ago for the three of them. Yet still, Sara wouldn't take away that time for the world. It was the best time of her life. And, in only less than two months, school would be out, and she would be free for an entire summer with Mia and Katy in Australia.

 _Incoming!_ Mia's voice sprang into her head. Sara only had a moment before Mia burst from the surface of the water in front of here. Sara put her hands up in defense, much to Mia's amusement. "Oh come on Sara, I can't have scared you that much," Mia joked.

"Oh shut up. We're all cool," Sara responded quickly, trying to cover the embarrassment. It wasn't working.

"What are you up to today?" Mia asked.

"Oh you know… not much… It's just a normal, usual, average day…." Sara trailed off.

"Why are being so coy about it? Today is special isn't it? Come on, you gotta tell me," Mia spoke.

"I mean…"

"Spill it. Why is today so great? You know, you can't hide things from me," Mia questioned to Sara.

"Well… Today is my birthday. And I mean…"

"It's your birthday!" Mia interrupted, hugging Sara. "Oh come on! We have to celebrate it! Bring out the cake and ice cream! Shit, why am I being the excited one, that's usually Katy's job!"

"No… Mia… I don't want anything big and over the top. I… want my birthday to be low-key," Sara responded softly.

"What's the problem?" Mia asked, slightly concerned.

"It's just… Parties mean people, people mean water, and water means the possibility of being splashed," Sara explained. "And the whole weather power thing still is fresh in my mind."

"That happened a few weeks ago. But we can do something at least? We have to!"

"I guess we can do something for just us."

"What are you thinking then?"

"Something small at my house. Just the six of us. Possibly my parents involved as well, cuz I know they'll want to hang out," Sara rolled her eyes.

"The six of us?"

"Yeah you know. You, me, Blake, Katy, and… Mitch. He's dating Katy. And they both seem to be happy about it. And since he knows about the secret, we kinda gotta keep him involved on Team Mako."

Mia nodded her head. "Ok. Let's get some pizzas and stuff for lunch. I'll talk to Zane, see if we can get like smoothies or something like that catered by Rikki's Cafe."

 _Katy? You there?_ Sara sent out. No response came. "Well, Katy's not in her tail now, so I can't contact her."

Mia chuckled. "You know she can still hear you right? You should probably tell her that you'll call her later rather than have her question what you wanted."

"That's fair." Sara replied. _Scratch that Katy. I'll call you when I get back to the mainland._

 _You could've told me that before I poured water on myself to contact you!_ Katy joked.

 _I forgot about the whole thing where you can receive messages as a normal human._ Sara admitted, extending the conversation to Mia as well.

 _What did you want?_ Katy asked.

 _It's Sara's birthday!_ Mia spoke up first.

 _Oh my God! It's your birthday!_ Katy exclaimed. _How old are you now? We gotta do something!_

 _I'm seventeen today. And, we've already decided what it's gonna be. We're doing a small get-together at my house, and it's just gonna be Team Mako. And yes, before you ask Mitch can come too. He's a part of this as well._ Sara responded.

 _Great! Let's do it!_ Katy replied. _Ok, I'm gonna dry myself now. I'm done laying on the bathroom floor._ And with that, she severed the connection.

Sara breathed in and out slowly. "I'm heading back home," She spoke to Mia. "Meet me at my house later."

Mia nodded, and the two of them dove beneath the surface. They split up, swimming quickly toward the mainland. When Sara returned to her house through the canals, she swam to her small alcove nearby, using her powers to get the water off of her skin. When her legs returned, she waltzed up to the door and entered in.

Her parents were waiting for her when she returned, looking quite concerned. Sara hesitated when she entered the door. "What's going on?" She questioned, switching her gaze between her mother and father.

"Where have you been?" her mother asked.

Sara gulped. "I've been out." she stated.

"We've been worried about you Sara…" Her father spoke up. "You haven't been home very often over the past month. Either you're hanging out with your friends, or Farley, and we don't know what's going on."

"Why… are you interrogating me about this now? Don't you think today is a bad day for it?"

Karen spoke up. "We weren't gonna mention it for a few more days, but when we woke up this morning and you were nowhere to be found, especially when we couldn't contact you via phone, we got concerned."

"Mom. Dad. I'm fine. I was hanging out with Mia. We walked around a bit. Went to the Cafe. It's all good," Sara replied nonchalantly.

Paul sighed. "Sara, you have to make sure that we know where you are. Yes, you turn seventeen today, but we're still your parents, and we want to know that you're not up to anything bad. I understand that a huge change like moving to a new continent causes problems with teenagers."

"I'm not up to anything bad! Stop patronizing me." Sara argued, slowly making her way toward the stairs, trying to make her way out of the discussion.

"Sara, please try to see it from our perspective. Like your father said, we're still new from the move here. It could've caused you to become more rebellious. Please remember we're here to talk to you," Karen explained.

Sara made it to the stairs. "I'll make sure to tell you when I'm going out! I'm sorry to cause you trouble," she apologized quickly, before hightailing it up the steps and to her room, leaving her parents in stunned silence. This was not an argument she wanted to get into at the moment.

Sara rubbed her temples when she got to her room. Already the morning of her birthday her parents had berated her for being out too often. She groaned. Why did they have to be so over-protective sometimes? She wish she knew.

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Some hours later, it was time for the party. Pizzas arrived piping hot, ready to be consumed. Sara made her way downstairs in a cute floral sundress, the same one she had worn for her first date with Farley as it was the only sundress she had. She dangled her crystal necklace from her neck, admiring the way the deep blue matched her eyes.

Farley showed up first, as his house was the closest. He hugged her deeply, with a quick peck on the lips, much to the chagrin of Sara's parents. He was followed closely behind by Mia and Blake, holding hands. They both hugged Sara as well. Last to show up were Katy and Mitch. Katy looked lovely and bubbly. It was an almost comedic contrast to Mitch. He had dressed up a bit, or tried to at least, and he looked slightly nervous as well. Sara noted the almost absurdity of the height difference between the two of them.

They all ate pizza quickly, enjoying the company. Even Mitch, who despite having little connection to them all, began to warm up, fully embracing his new spot in Team Mako. Then, it was time for gifts. Mia gave her a small and cheap waterproof watch as a gag gift. Sara glared at her, but she couldn't help but laugh. Katy gave her a new sundress, arguing that one wasn't enough for her. She thanked them both.

Farley next stepped up. "I have something you might enjoy," he winked. Farley handed her a flat package. Raising an eyebrow, she opened up the wrapping to reveal a painted canvas. In the center, with colors spraying outward was an accurate outline of Nebraska. There was a large dot on the map, with a line pointing to "Gibbon" above it, marking the spot of her previous home town. Across the top and bottom displayed the saying "Remember where you come from, no matter where your travels go."

"Farley… How?" Sara sputtered out, suddenly feeling emotional.

"I've been spending some time in the arts department at school. Took me like eight tries and a lot of tracing to get the state right," Farley joked. Sara jumped up and pulled him into a tight hug. "However, I'm glad you love it."

Sara was now feeling great. Her party was going as a success. Her parents somewhat mingled after the gift-opening. Sara was immediately against it, but the others wanted a chance to talk to her them.

"So… Farley… How are you doing?" Paul stepped up to him, slapping a hand on Farley's shoulder.

"I'm… d-doing great Mr. Meyer…" Farley stammered, intimidated by Paul's height and size advantage. They had met several times before, but each time, Farley felt out of place next to Sara's father.

"I heard about your gift to Sara. Mighty fine job you did on that," Paul replied.

"Thank you sir. You're daughter is amazing… And… I wanted to make sure she got a good gift for her birthday," Farley studdered, trying to remain composed.

"That's really good. As her father, I'm just making sure that you treat her right. Because if you don't…"

"Alright Alright. I get the picture," Farley replied swiftly, stepping out of reach of Sara's father's grip. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Tread lightly Farley. I don't know too much about you. I'm letting you know that as long as you date my daughter, I will be keeping an eye on you very very closely."

A nervous trickle of sweat rolled down Farley's back. He didn't want to cause any trouble at all, especially with how big Sara's father was. "I can assure you, I will treat Sara to the utmost that I can. You don't have to worry about me."

Paul took a step forward, towering over Farley. His intimidation tactic was working. "Be careful Farley. I'm a dangerous man to make angry."

Farley gulped. He didn't know what to do. He stared up at Paul, too intimidated to say anything. "Dad!" Sara called from across the room. "What the hell are you doing?"

Paul stepped back. "We're just having a conversation," he replied simply.

Sara wasn't falling for it. "Why are you trying to antagonize Farley?" She interrogated.

Her father floundered. "I'm just trying to get him to understand how to respect you. I don't want you to get hurt," he admitted.

Sara stepped up in between Farley and her father. "He is respectful to me! He's always willing to go to bat for me, and he's better than you can possibly imagine!"

"You don't know what's best for you! You might think you do, but you're only seventeen! You need a lot more experience before you'll know how to make right choices."

Sara exploded. "Are you kidding me? Can you stop suffocating me! You interrogate me this morning when I didn't write you a note, then you threaten my boyfriend. And now, you're berating me that I don't know what's good for me! You couldn't even wait until after my birthday! You have got to let me grow up. God damn!"

"Sara, we just are looking out for you," Karen added, stepping up to Paul.

"You're trying to keep me confined to a box!" Sara turned and headed for the door. "I'm going for a walk to cool down. Nobody follow me."

Sara slammed the door behind her in a huff, leaving a stunned group back in her house. She didn't care. She was headed for the sea, she had freedom there. Sara began running for the canal, diving in without a second thought. The moment her tail appeared, she raced away toward the open ocean. _Don't follow me. I'll be back soon_. _I need some time to myself._ She sent to Mia and Katy.

Sara swam and swam and swam out toward sea. She wanted to be able to live without her parents trying to metaphorically choke her. She was tired of it. Yeah, she was an only child, but that didn't give them the right to treat her like she was nine. If they could only understand her, but they never would. She could never tell them about her tail. If only there was…

Sara slammed into a mesh wall in front of her. The shock caused her to twist and turn in a panic, only entangling her in some kind of net. _Shit!_ She struggled back and forth, only to be more caught in it, until it exhausted her. She relaxed her muscles, unable to move in the net's grasp.

In a moment, the net began lifting upward and upward. Sara panicked, shaking back and forth, but it was a futile effort. She was pulled above the water's surface into the chilly air. Her breath stopped when she was pulled up to the side of a boat. The net stopped when she was at eye level with a woman, light blond hair flowing in the wind behind her. Next to her were a skinny boy with curly blond hair and a young women with short cut brown hair. The two of them were wide-eyed and in shock when they saw Sara. The blond woman in the center seemed confident and unnerved, like seeing Sara as a mermaid didn't faze her. She stepped forward, speaking to Sara. "Hello. It is very nice to meet you, my young mermaid friend. My name is Dr. Linda Denman."

 **And the reveal of Dr. Denman! Now this is where everything begins to go down. Are you ready? Get ready for next chapter to see what happens next! Follow the story to keep on getting notified of all chapters.**


	24. Chapter 24: Revealed

**Chapter 24: Revealed**

Sara squirmed uneasily in her chair. She had been caught as a mermaid. Her life was ruined. Her captors had given her a towel to dry off, thankfully. So, she was given at least some small shred of decency. Yet, there she sat, in a room on the ship. Scientific notes and documents were strewn about. Across the table from her sat the blond woman who introduced herself as Dr. Denman. She was flanked by the younger man and woman, who still had wide eyes fixated on Sara. It was as if seeing a real-life mermaid was a shocking thing. Sara crossed her arms, angrily staring across at the doctor.

Denman looked inquisitively at Sara. "Is there anything I can get you? Water? Coffee? fish?" she asked Sara.

"I'm fine." Sara stated flatly. She stayed silent for a moment, brooding in anger. But she couldn't help herself. "What in the hell do you want with me?" she blurted out.

"Right now, I only want to talk to you, find out about who you are and where you come from," Denman replied.

"So that's it? Just talk? I highly doubt that," Sara replied skeptically, rolling her eyes. "And, can you please tell your minions to stop staring at me? It's making me feel uncomfortable." Sara pointed at the two young people next to Denman.

Denman hit them both softly to break their concentration. "Come on you two. You heard her; quit staring. This mermaid is our guest here, and I expect you two to behave." she commanded.

"Yes Doc," the boy answered.

"Sorry Doc," the girl replied as well.

Denman turned to face Sara. "Sorry about them. Seeing a mermaid that actually exists is quite the sight. This is Elliot Gilbert and Laura Collins by the way."

Sara nodded. "Howdy." She turned back to Denman. "Who are you and why are you here?" Sara asked. "You're probably a scientist I'm guessing. No fisherman out here is actually a doctor. So why haven't you already started dissecting me?"

Denman stared down at her desk. "I want to do research with you, yes, but I want this to benefit the both of us. I want you to trust me."

"Trust you? You captured me from the sea like I was no different than some wild animal. Give me one good reason to trust you," Sara berated.

"I'm gonna reveal a secret about myself. Since your mermaid secret is revealed to us, I want to even the score for you. Elliot, Laura, you as well might learn some more about my history." Her two assistants looked at her with a questioning look.

"Ok. Fine by me. Can't promise I'll believe whatever your 'secret' is or even trust you afterward," Sara warned, crossing her arms even harder, scowl deepening on her face.

"That's only fair I suppose," Denman replied. She pondered for a moment then continued. "This story might make me look terrible, but I would never take a risk telling you a story like this unless all of what I'm saying is true. Like I said, I'm Dr. Linda Denman. I'm a marine biologist, one of the best in my field. As well, Sara, you're not the first mermaid I've encountered."

"Bullshit."

Even Elliot and Laura looked at Denman skeptically, as well as with some confusion. "It's the truth. About four years ago, I met three mermaids here in Australia. And, I... decided to capture them for my research. I wanted to find out about how they changed, what their bodies were like, and how they could control water. My greed did me in. Capturing and confining them was the worst mistake I could've done."

"Looks like you haven't changed one tiny iota," Sara blabbed sarcastically. "Since I'm pretty well captured here. Congrats Denman, you've just convinced me you're a giant piece of shit. But go on, I'm dying to know how you come back from that."

"I've changed a lot actually. I'm getting there. I promise I will make it better. Anyway, those mermaids somehow escaped my grasp. And, they went to Mako Island that night. It was then that, they gave up their ability to be mermaids forever. My selfishness not only ruined my research, but it ruined three girls' lives. As, they left that night, they reminded me of my horrible failure. Everything I stood for. All that made the human race better through science. I threw it all out the window then."

"It's still not looking any better for you," Sara spoke, silently putting a plan together to try and escape. "It's definitely making you seem like a destructive and terrible person."

Denman chuckled. "Yeah. Well, over the next few years I began to think the same thing. I fell into a deep depression. My work was meaningless. I had built my career up on my ethics and dedication toward science. It cost me dearly. I was ready to give up my career and my passion. It was a dark and bleak time in my life. That is… until I happened upon one of those former mermaids, living a normal and happy life in Tampa, Florida."

Sara could've sworn Denman's eyes flicked toward Elliot, but it could've just been a reflection. Denman continued, "She saw the depressive state I was in. But, instead of feeling glee in my suffering, which I would've no doubt deserved, she somehow found it in her heart to take pity on me. We began talking again, and she eventually forgave me for what I'd done to her and her friends. A huge weight was released off my shoulders. After all the pain I had caused, it was a relief to see she was happy. I made a promise that day to her and to myself, that if I ever found another mermaid, I would treat them with respect and dignity."

"Which brings you to me…"

Denman nodded. "Precisely. I found out about there being another mermaid around here through a picture I found on the internet. I thought it was a joke at first, but the clues lined up too much. We were on our way here to the Gold Coast anyway, so I believed it would be good to check it out. See if the rumor was true or not."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems you might've wasted your time. I'm still not interested in taking part in any of your schemes. Yeah, and you say you just want to talk now… But what's next? You keep saying I should trust you, but you've given me no reason to do that."

"I wanted to tell you that story so that you would trust me, because why would I tell you it unless it wasn't the truth. It doesn't make me seem good at all, so the only way I would gain by telling you that story is only if it all was true, including the part where I would treat the next mermaid, you, with respect," Denman explained.

"Ok fine whatever. What do you want to do?" Sara was becoming increasingly impatient.

"I want to do research with you," Denma added, "It'll give you clarity on your abilities as well as giving me great data for my career."

"Sounds like it'll be more beneficial to you. You still get all the glory and recognition, and I'm seen as a fish," Sare replied.

"The whole point of it is to prevent you from being seen as anything but an amazing yet normal person with an incredible gift. The way I see it, there's a lot you don't know about your abilities. I want to provide a means of understanding through science. Also, if you were ever to go public…"

"Not gonna happen. Ever." Sara interrupted.

"Be that as it may, there is the possibility that you do get revealed, whether by accident or your own decision. If that happens, it's better to have scientific research about you. It'll show people that they have nothing to fear from you. People fear the unknown, and I don't want you to be feared and hated."

"But…" Sara didn't have a response to it. "Either way, you're putting me into a stressful situation here. This is a huge… thing, and I'm not sure what to think about any of it."

"I'll make a deal with you," Denman spoke. "I've accepted a position with the Marine Park here. So, I'm going to be around for some time. Take a few days to decide what you want to do, whether you want to take my offer or not."

Sara stood up slowly, confused. "So… I'm free to go?" She asked.

Denman nodded. "You're free to go. Take my offer to heart. I'm offering truth and understanding. But, your livelihood will be at the center of my research, more than my glory. Remember that."

Sara slowly backed away from the three of them cautiously. She headed toward the door, opening it out onto the deck of the research boat. She paused a moment, staring out over the open ocean. _Is this something I want to get involved in?_ Denman knew her secret, so there could be problems there. She needed to talk to someone about this.

"Hey," sounded a voice behind her. She turned around quickly and defensively to see Elliot and Laura approach. "Mind if we give some advice before you head off?"

"Make it quick, minions," Sara snapped. "I have a lot to think about. Surprised you're able to talk to me now without your jaws hanging open in shock."

Elliot and Laura exchanged quick glances. "We'll be fine. Now that we know you're a real person." Elliot stated.

"Oh boy! Glad I could be considered a real person!" Sara snapped angrily. Elliot and Laura winced at the comment.

"I understand you're under a lot of stress right now. But we all mean you no harm. Please consider the Doc's request. She's a really good person and wants to do right by you." Laura pleaded.

Sara mulled it around in her head. "I'll consider it. Now, if you don't mind." Sara immediately dove backwards into foamy sea, racing away from the boat, much to the awe of Laura and Elliot.

Sara broke all speed records on her way back to the mainland. This had been a disaster. She had been revealed as a mermaid, and now she had basically been given an ultimatum.

She arrived back home promptly, only to find it empty. The kitchen and living room, which had been full when she left was now devoid of anyone from her party. She found a note on her counter. "Sara, your father and I went to run some errands. We're sorry about how things turned out today. We hope to make it up to you. But, we need to have an open talk. See you soon sweetie!" It read. Sara plopped down onto the couch. A tear rolled down her cheek. This was without a doubt the worst birthday she'd ever had. If she hadn't of gotten mad at her father, she wouldn't have stormed off, and then she wouldn't have gotten caught by Dr. Denman. So many ifs…

Sara randomly burst into a fit of sobs. Never had she felt such a hopelessness in her entire life before. Her promise of refusing to cry was broken again, to the same tune as before; being revealed. _I hate all of this! Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Stupid Stupid! I should never have left my party. I should've controlled my emotions. I should've just gone walking instead of thinking what I needed to do was swim!_

She needed to talk to someone. Get a fresh perspective on everything. Sara pondered her options. She couldn't talk to Mia and Katy. They couldn't know her secret was compromised. Farley wouldn't be a help. He'd be too protective of her. And, she didn't trust Mitch yet and Zane still felt mischievous. That only left Blake, of all people. It was the only option she had. She whipped out her phone and dialed his number.

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Twenty minutes later, Sara sat on a secluded spot of beach away from prying eyes. This meeting needed to be kept secret, especially from Mia and Katy. They could not find out that Sara was revealed, at least not yet. She looked over left to see Blake jogging up to her, skeptical look on his face. "Hey!" he called when he got near her.

"Good. You made it. I need to talk to you," Sara spoke.

"I'm not sure about what. You were very coy and secretive on the phone about everything. What's this about Sara? Do Mia and Katy know you're meeting me here?" Blake asked.

"Blake… What I'm going to talk about can't leave this beach. It's extremely important," Sara warned.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to talk to me about it?" He asked. "It would probably be better to talk to Mia, Katy or even Farley about it. Why me?"

"Mia and Katy can't know about it. I can't tell them about what happened, at all. At least until I get more information on what I'm dealing with. And, Farley would just be overprotective and wouldn't give a neutral and unbiased position. And I don't trust Mitch enough yet, so you're the lucky one." Sara explained.

Blake sat down next to her. "Alright then. What's going on that's got you so paranoid and secretive?"

Sara gulped, staring out over the ocean. "I've been caught… as a mermaid," she spoke.

Blake gasped, jumping to his feet. "Sara this is a huge deal. Mia and Katy need to know about this immediately! They might be compromised as well! What the hell happened?"

Sara jumped to her feet as well to meet Blake's eyes. "I was caught in the net of a group of three scientists off their boat. But I can't talk to Mia and Katy about it. I have to be the only mermaid here, just to save them from being found out as well. If this goes south, at least it'll only be me going down. I could save them from it."

"I don't see how that makes it any better. They could turn you into a lab rat, reveal you to the public, or even worse..."

"Here's the weird part. They let me go of my own free will. The head scientist, Linda Denman was her name, had apparently met with mermaids previously who permanently gave up their tails to evade her, and she swore by her own ethics and her own mistakes that she would treat me with dignity. Why would she think of telling me? I don't know"

"What do they want?"

"Do research with me I think? That's what they were talking about anyway. But… again with the whole they might dissect me thing. It scares me."

"What are you thinking of doing?" Blake questioned.

"I don't know!" Sara burst outward with a sudden rage, much to Blake's surprise. A strong wind ripped across the beach, blowing sand sideways. She relaxed for a moment, and the wind subsided. The beach became eerily quiet as Sara composed herself before continuing much quieter. "They know my secret Blake. I'm afraid I don't have a choice. At least this way I get some closure. Who knows, I might find out how to control my powers better. I might be able to resist the full moon. And, I may be able to control the transformations."

"To me, you need to have a more in depth discussion with this Denman character and find out exactly what research she plans on doing down to the letter. Or at the very least keep her close by so you might know what she wants from you. I hate to say it, but keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And closer still those who you aren't quite sure whether they are friend or enemy."

"I suppose you're right. And… If I was ever publicly revealed, I would have all this research saying that I'm not a threat to anyone in the public or scientific community."

"Then do the research with them," Blake spoke. "It sounds to me like the best option for you. For this, it would be good as well to keep Mia and Katy out of this, at least for now. Let those scientists think that you're the only mermaid in existence right now. It'll help protect them."

"I… have a favor to ask of you," Sara spoke. "Would you come with me when I go visit them again? I need a friend by my side I can trust."

Blake smiled. "I'd be happy to help you."

Sara sighed in relief. This was the best thing she could make of a worst-case scenario, and she had to go through with it. She only hoped it would be the right decision.

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The next day, Sara and Blake walked down toward the marina. They were looking for Denman's ship, The Redemption. Sara found it on one end of the marina, shoved against the far side. A gangplank connected the boat's deck with the dock they were standing on. "Are you ready?" Blake asked from behind her.

"Nope! But it's not like I have a choice," Sara replied, trying to make a joke, although it fell flat. The two of them took a few steps up the gangplank, nervously stepping onto the ship.

Laura burst through one of the doors, rope in hand. She froze as soon as she saw Sara and Blake. "Oh…It's you..." She spoke. "You can go in. Doc will be happy to see you came back." Sara nodded solemnly, and she and Blake entered into the research room. Laura didn't take her gaze off of Sara until she had disappeared into the ship.

Dr. Denman stood immediately when she saw Sara enter into the ship's main room. "Welcome back young mermaid. Have you considered my offer?"

Sara sighed. "Yes. And, I want to take part in your research."

Denman smiled. "That's very good to hear." She gestured to Blake. "And who's he?"

"This is Blake. He's my friend and confidant. He knows about my secret as well. I want him to be a part of this. He's a witness to make sure that you keep to your word." Sara put in.

"Understood," Denman added. "I want you to know that your utmost consent and cooperation for this research is greatly appreciated."

"You know about my secret," Sara stated. "I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"My young mermaid, we always have the opportunity to make a choice," Denman added, "What only matters is whether those choices are the right ones."

"Sounds like you've taken too many philosophy classes," Sara grumbled.

Dr. Denman shuffled some papers together on her desk, organizing it with diligence. "Ok. Ok. Let me make sure I have everything prepared," She spoke, grabbing some other tools off of shelves behind her. She sat down promptly again, pulling out a pencil and placed a sheet of paper in front of her. "Are you ready to begin?"

 **Let me know what y'all are thinking about this story. I love every review to my writing. I'll be back soon with the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25: For the Glory of Science

**Chapter 25: For the Glory of Science**

"What is your name?" Dr. Denman asked Sara. They were both sitting down opposite each other across Denman's desk on her ship. Elliot and Laura flanked Denman, while Blake stood behind Sara, hands placed on the back of her chair. Although Sara had agreed to this whole thing, it almost felt like a standoff; the three of them against Sara and Blake.

"Why? So you can reveal who I am to the world?" Sara fired back immediately.

"No, but like I said, it may indeed happen one day. Having a name attached to you will be better for people to show your humanity. I'm no business person, but that is a good part of marketing yourself. Plus it'll make you more a subject and not a specimen when it comes to research. It may be a small change in word, but it's a big change in semantics," Denman explained. "I know you may still be angry, and I understand. But it's better if we can work together and don't fight each other at every turn."

"Fine. My name is Sara Meyer. Sara has no "H" too. Make sure to get that right," Sara replied hesitantly.

Denman scribbled it down onto the notepad in front of her. "And, I'm going to assume you were born a normal human female."

"I AM a normal human female," Sara retorted.

"I understand that. More than you might realize. However, what is considered normal in this world is not turning into a mermaid when you touch water. So, when we discuss 'normal' that is what we are referring to for sake of context," Denman responded, then scribbled something down in her notes. "And so, where are you from?"

Sara sighed, annoyed with it all. "Gibbon, Nebraska. In America."

"When did you come to Australia and why?"

"I came here about three to four months ago, give or take. I came with my mother and father after my father got a new and higher paying job here. And so here I am in Gold Coast."

"How did you become a mermaid? And how long have you been one?"

Sara gulped. "I went on a boat trip a few days after I moved her. One thing lead to another, and I was in the right place at the right time, and I became a mermaid."

Denman looked skeptically at Sara. "One thing led to another?"

"That is technically the truth. Look this is supposed to get clarity for me. If the info of how I became a mermaid fell into the wrong hands, there's no telling what evil things would happen. So instead, I'd rather keep it to myself."

Denman nodded slowly. "Fine then. I won't question you about it then. Anyway, next… So, you've been a mermaid for around the same time you've been here… Are there any other existing mermaids that you are currently aware of? Or are you the only one?"

Sara froze. As well, she felt Blake's grip tighten on the back of her chair. She spoke slowly and confidently. "Not that I know of. But, considering you met some mermaids before, it wouldn't surprise me if there were or are some others out there." Throwing that out there seemed like a cheap attempt, but it was what Sara could come up with on such short notice.

"Duly noted," Denman replied flatly, continuing her notes. "Ok Sara, if you don't mind, I'd like to take some measurements of you in your human form." Sara scowled at the phrase 'human form'. She thought she was human no matter what, even though she was a mermaid. "And then, we will take some more measurements when you're in your mermaid form to see what has changed in between."

"Ok, let's do it," Sara agreed. Denman grabbed a tape measure out of her . With Sara's permission, Denman measured Sara's height, marking 1.78 meters. She followed it up with several measurements of weight, arm length, leg length, torso length, girth, and a variety of others. Elliot and Laura grabbed other devices for Denman in which she used to check Sara's blood pressure, heart rate, and reflexes. _Ha, this is just like a physical at the doctor's office, no big deal._ Sara chuckled to herself.

Denman then handed Sara a glass of water. "Here. Do the transformation yourself when you're ready," Denman put in. Sara nodded, now feeling a bit more nervous. This was what she was dreading the most. Sara looked at Blake for support, and he nodded in response. She dipped her hand into the water, and layed down. Ten seconds later, her tail appeared, flowing away from her. "Whoa…" Elliot and Laura spoke simultaneously.

"I'm glad I could be the spectacle for you two," Sara chastised loudly, now feeling more annoyed than anything.

The two of them shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry Ms. Meyer," Elliot spoke. "This is just too cool… I'm sorry for acting odd."

"Ms. Meyer? Really? Just call me Sara. It's fine," Sara replied, yet she rolled her eyes. Denman went ahead and measured again. This time, from head to the tip of her tail, Sara was around seven feet in length. A surprised Denman marked these down in her notebook. Most of her upper body was unchanged in terms of size although.

It was when it came down to her heart rate that Denman was baffled. "This is remarkable!" Denman exclaimed, surprising Sara. "Your heart rate is extremely low. We're looking at six beats per minute. With your heart rate being so low, and yet you still functioning normally, it stands to reason that you can extract more oxygen from the air, which would allow you to hold your breath for much longer periods. I can't wait till we get to that point!"

Sara just shrugged. When the measurements were up, Laura passed a towel down to Sara, who dried herself quickly. She could've used her powers, but she didn't want to display her full hand of abilities just yet. Denman barked orders at Laura and Elliot, who pulled up the anchor and readied the ship for departure. "What are we doing next?" Sara asked.

"We're going out to sea, away from prying eyes. Then, I would like you to get into the water where we can do some more preliminary tests on things like how long you can hold your breath, how fast you are in the water. That kind of thing," Denman explained.

Sara just went to the railing, staring out over the marina as the ship began to depart. She sighed, a bit stressed out. Although she should've felt ok about finding out more about her, she just felt like everything was going too fast. She felt like she was almost out of control, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Blake came over and stood next to her on the railing. "How are you feeling?" he asked Sara.

"A bit overwhelmed honestly," Sara admitted. "When I became a… mermaid… I never thought about what the future would be. But now… I don't know. It just feels like so much is happening right now, and none of it is under my control. I have to trust all of these people not to reveal my secret, and I've got to keep all of this from Mia and Katy. I just…. It's a lot to take in."

"Have faith in the process. It'll all turn out ok," Blake reassured her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Damn I wish I had your confidence," Sara joked, allowing herself to smile. Whatever happened, at least she had his friendship to help her with everything. "Thank you Blake for being here with me."

Blake smiled back at her. "Anything for a friend," he replied.

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Farley was standing near the edge of the Marina. He had gone on an errand for his father. He looked onward as a ship was heading its way out toward the open ocean, when he happened to notice Sara on the boat. _What is Sara doing out there?_ He questioned. He had not heard from her since they left school that day. Now, she was on some seemingly boat heading toward open ocean. Did she not know she could be splashed?

The kicker was that right next to Sara, a bit too close, was Blake, with his hand on her shoulder. _What is he doing with Sara?_ Farley was in no mood for any of that. He put it in the back of his mind and continued on his way.

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Soon, the Redemption was out to sea, free from eyesight of any curious onlookers, and Dr. Denman cut the engine. When they were stopped, Elliot threw the anchor overboard while Laura grabbed some equipment and moved it to a working space near the rear of the boat. Blake became increasingly curious on Denman's previous research. He even asked her a few questions on the previous mermaids, but she only gave vague and unclear answers.

"So, what's next on the list?" Sara asked, trying to be nonchalant.

Denman looked up and down her clipboard. "So, I want to start by testing how long you can hold your breath both as a human and as a mermaid. We can then see if there's any kind of correlation between the two," She explained.

"Aye Aye Captain!" Sara mocked, putting on a mock salute, "All for the glory of Science!"

Denman rolled her eyes. "I know you're being facetious, but still, it's important to have a baseline test on your abilities."

Sara nodded reluctantly. They started on the boat. Sara held her breath as long as she could, but it was just barely a minute before she gave in and started breathing heavily in and out, her lungs regaining precious oxygen. "Don't hurt yourself," Denman warned.

"I probably won't," Sara joked. "Now what?"

"I'll need you to get into the water and go under the surface. Only come back up when you feel yourself need to take a breath," Denman instructed.

"Yeah? And what's to stop me from swimming away from the boat and escaping as soon as I get in the water," Sara challenged.

Denman sighed. "I suppose you could. But, you'd never get the answers you want, we still know about your secret, and your friend Blake will still be on this boat. I think your little rebelliousness is honorable, but we can't work well together if you're constantly trying to undermine this. Please Sara."

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Alright fine. I'll work better." Sara jumped off the deck and into the ocean waters, keeping above the surface as her tail appeared. Elliot and Laura still looked wide-eyed at her. Sara glared at them angrily, and the two of them tried their best to act normal. "Ready to time me?" She asked Denman, who looked down at her over the side next to Blake.

"Start whenever you're ready," Denman instructed.

Sara nodded. She dove beneath the waves, coming to a rest some ten feet below the water's surface. It was peaceful underneath the water. For a moment, Sara forgot about the predicament she was in. No longer did she worry about Denman, Elliot, Laura, the research, or any of it. Here, she felt completely relaxed. She closed her eyes and drifted, happy to be free from any stress. Being a mermaid was amazing for her.

 _Hey Sara! We're heading to Mako if you want to come with!_ Katy contacted her. The telepathic message jerked Sara out of her relaxation. She spun quickly back and forth, but couldn't see anything in the waters around her. Katy must have been talking to her from somewhere farther away, possibly on the way to Mako Island.

 _Sorry Katy! I'm a bit busy at the moment so I won't be able to make it._ Sara sent to Katy, hoping to stall. She couldn't let Katy and Mia know about her deal with Dr. Denman.

 _But… You're in your tail?_ Katy questioned.

Sara panicked, thinking of an excuse. _Uhh… Just happened to be in it at the time. All is fine. I'll get you later though! I'll need a swim to Mako later! I promise!_ She rambled quickly

 _Uh… Ok…_ Katy trailed off, unsure of what to think of Sara's answer. _I guess Mia and I will see you then!_

 _Of course! See ya!_ Sara severed the connection. She couldn't talk about what she was actually doing for sure. She hoped the lie would hold tight. Sara returned to her relaxed position, or as best as she could. She was still worried about lying to Katy and Mia, but she felt it was for the best that they stay ignorant about what was going on.

Some time later, Sara felt the tinge of needing to breathe. She had no idea how long she had been under the water. Making her way toward the back of the boat, she surfaced, much to the surprise of the four people still there. "How long was that?" Sara asked, treading water lightly.

Denman hurriedly checked her watch. "You were under for… twenty-seven minutes and forty-three seconds! That's incredible!" She exclaimed.

"Bah, that was easy," Sara boasted. "In an emergency, I could've stayed down there for longer."

"That's good for a preliminary test on your time underwater," Denman checked her notes. "Do you know how fast you are in the water at all?"

Sara shrugged. "I've never really checked. I know I'm pretty fast, but besides that I really don't know. I actually want to find out." Sara had to admit she was curious now on how quickly she could swim.

Denman half smiled. "I agree. And besides, didn't I tell you that you'd want to know more about your abilities." She handed Sara rope with a buoy on it. "This rope is one hundred meters long. The buoy has a sensor in it. When you're ready, hit this button to start the timer and race outward. When it hits the end of the rope, the buoy will automatically detach, stopping the timer. From there, we'll have the time it takes for you to go one hundred meters, and we can calculate your speed from there."

"Seems easy enough," Sara spoke, turning to face the ocean.

"Whenever you're ready."

Sara calmed her nerves, steadying herself. When she was ready, she slammed down the button and shot forward in the water. Every muscle in her body burned as she pushed her tail to the limit. It was no time at all when she felt the buoy clip off from the rope. Sara released her muscles, gliding to a stop. When she recovered, Sara turned back and slowly returned to the boat.

Denman looked in shock when Sara resurfaced at the Redemption."Sara… That was three seconds to go one hundred meters. That's over thirty meters per second!" Denman exclaimed.

"Uh…. Great? I don't know how fast that is…" Sara pondered.

"That's about seventy miles per hour or so. Give or take the error on translating units," Laura interjected.

Now it was Sara's turn to be shocked. She gasped at how fast she had just swam, as fast as a car on the highway. "That's… I had no idea I could swim that fast!" She exclaimed.

Elliot and Blake helped Sara out of the ocean and onto the boat, where she rested on her back for a moment. Denman knelt by her. "Sara, I really hope to help you out with all of this. I'm guessing you want to swim farther and faster, stay under longer, and go deeper. While I'm unsure how best to train you, I will hope to uncover more about what is going on with your body. I'm in this with you and for you," She explained.

Sara nodded her head. "I understand… And, I'd like to learn more about my condition as much as you do," Sara agreed.

Denman sighed. "I say that because the next tests might be more uncomfortable for you."

Sara gulped. "What are you going to do to me?"

"I'm not going to dissect you, if that's what you're worried about. However, I need qualitative data on your tail, which means I will have to feel it with my hands and write down a description of it. Ok? In addition, I need to take a sample of the scales on your tail which I can run better tests on without actually running them on you and your tail directly," Denman explained. "Is that alright with you."

"I suppose so. If that's the best way to do the right research, then it's what I have to do," Sara relented.

Denman nodded, starting to run her hand along the side of Sara's tail, feeling the scales beneath her fingers. "Hmmm…. Rough yet smooth, and somewhat slimy, probably to help mitigate drag when gliding through the water, yet enough friction so you can generate thrust with each of your fin strokes. Ingenious."

Denman went back to her notes and began frantically scribbling down onto the paper. Sara looked up at Blake for support, but he only shrugged his shoulders. Denman returned with a pair of tweezers in her hand. Sara had a guess what they would be used for. "Now, this might be the more uncomfortable part. I'm going to have to acquire one of your scales. I will try to not cause any discomfort if I can, but this is just forewarning," Denman notified.

Sara nodded reluctantly. For support, Blake came over and grabbed her hand, giving her a place to squeeze in case of pain. "Ok. I'm ready whenever… Ow!" Sara exclaimed. Denman had taken a scale using the distraction. It wasn't too painful, more surprising to Sara.

Denman held up the scale, turning it, allowing the sun to glitter off the orange surface of it. "Magnificent…" She trailed off. "It's beauty is hard to ignore."

"Thanks I guess," Sara joked. "Glad my tail could be beautiful."

"I will get you the answers you desire Sara. I promise it," Denman declared.

Sara smiled and nodded. She completely doubted Dr. Denman's self confidence. Yet still, if she could answer more questions about Sara's mermaid condition, it would be better for her. And that's all that Sara needed.


	26. Chapter 26: Anxiety

**Chapter 26: Anxiety**

It had been a few weeks gone since Sara had started working with Denman. Over that time she had built a sort of quasi-trust with the doctor, if only for the research. It wasn't much, but at least they had some sort of basis going forward.

Mia and Katy hadn't found out about her deal with Dr. Denman, much to Sara's relief. However, Sara had to keep lying to them about what she was doing away from them. She couldn't afford for them to be found out by anyone, so it was better to keep them ignorant about the whole scientific operation with Denman.

Farley, however, was getting increasingly paranoid. He had seen Sara on that random ship heading out to sea that first day with Blake. It had confused him to no end. He ran the memory through his head over and over as the days, seeing which explanations made sense in his mind, but none would make sense. Why would she be on a ship? That could lead to her being splashed and revealing her tail. Farley didn't have any answers. He tried to put it away, but it kept nagging him.

This coupled with the fact that Sara had become increasingly distant after that, something was definitely off about her. He made up his decision a few weeks after to do something. He was going to have a sit-down with Sara and talk about some things. They needed to be honest about a lot of what was going on.

He approached Sara's house after school. Now was the time to be open and honest. He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but the door opened immediately. Out came Sara, who was extremely surprised to see Farley, stepping back in shock. "Oh… Hey Farley! How's it going..?" Sara asked, stammering. She seemed nervous and on edge.

"It's going good. Listen, do you want to get a juice and chat?" Farley asked. "We haven't had a good chance to hang out in a few weeks, and I feel like we need something like that."

Sara sighed. She had to meet Denman and didn't have time for Farley. It pained her extremely. "I'm so sorry Farley. I've already set something up today… I'm actually going right now, and I'm running a little behind. Tomorrow for sure we can hang out." Sara explained, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Before Farley had a chance to respond, Sara jogged off the porch and went down the road. This left Farley shocked and confused on Sara's front step, watching her go off into the distance. _Something is going on. I have to find out_. He thought to himself. He made a decision. He followed Sara down the street, keeping out of her sight.

Farley kept behind Sara as she made her way through towards one of the bigger marinas. She seemed to know exactly where she was going. Farley kept his distance, crouching behind one of the boats. He noticed Sara walking up the gangplank to the same vessel he saw her on the last time.

Farley gasped as he saw Blake there again, helping Sara onto the boat. What was going on with them two? Neither of them had mentioned anything about this. Why would they be so secretive about what they were doing? This was getting bizarre.

Farley crept as close as he dared without being spotted. He whipped out his phone, snagging a photo of the two of them together on the boat, standing a bit too close for anyone's comfort. _No… She can't be cheating on me with Blake! She wouldn't do that! Right?_ Unfortunately, Farley didn't have an answer to what he was looking for.

Farley scrambled away from the marina. He had seen enough. A tear began to form. He shook it off immediately. _I'm gonna get to the bottom of this no matter what._ He promised himself. He pulled out his phone again, calling Mia's number. He needed to talk to her. If there was a thing between Sara and Blake, Mia needed to know about it. She picked up quickly. "Hey Farley. What's going on? Sara's not with me if you're looking for her," Mia spoke.

Farley exhaled slowly. "I… actually need to talk to you specifically. I have something important to discuss with you. This thing… it involves both Sara and Blake, and I need to talk to someone about it..."

The line was silent for a moment. "They've both been acting strange lately…" Mia replied. "But it can't be anything bad right? I'm sure of it,"

"I don't know Mia… I need to tell you what I've seen. I hate gossiping about this. But I need to talk to you now," Farley affirmed.

"Ok. Let's meet up."

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Some time later, Farley and Mia met on an empty beach some ways away from anyone who would see them. "Alright Farley. What have you got that you wanted desperately to show me that involves my boyfriend and my best friend?" Mia asked.

Farley gulped. "Now, Mia. I don't know much about what's going on. I just know they've been incredibly secretive over the past few weeks. I'm sure you've noticed it to some extent, whether with Blake or Sara. They've both been surprisingly distant. Something has happened between them, and I want to find out what it is," he explained.

Mia nodded in agreeance. "Ok… What are you thinking?" She asked, curiously sitting next to Farley. Farley nodded softly, pulling up the picture he had taken on his phone of Sara and Blake. Mia stared in silence at the photo for a minute, unsure of what to think. "What is this? What's going on? How did you get it?" she asked in rapid succession.

Farley began his story about seeing Sara on the ship with Blake a few weeks before, and how that's when they both started being so closed-up. And, Farley followed her after she was being overly secretive about what she was doing. That's where he ended up at the marina where they both got on the ship and were together again. Mia stated silent, staring at the sand in front of her. "They… can't have been… You know... sneaking around behind our backs together?" Mia pondered. "They wouldn't do that to us… Right?"

Farley sighed. "I don't know. I really don't know. We need to find out why they've been so tight-lipped about everything lately. We want answers. Hell, we deserve answers. They shouldn't have to be so secretive around us."

"We should stage an intervention."

"Do you really think that would work?"

"Farley, do you see any other answer besides confronting them directly? Because if you have another idea I'm all for it."

"I don't. If that's the best thing for this, then we should do it," Farley agreed, wondering how Sara would react to it.

"We could have Mitch and Katy be mediators for us. They can be the neutral voices in the whole thing," Mia suggested.

Farley groaned at the mention of Mitch. He didn't want his hand in their relationship issues. But, if it helped, that might be better. "I guess so," Farley relented. "And to think, Katy and Mitch are the ones who aren't going through relationship trouble right now, especially with how Mitch used to be." The both of them laughed nervously.

"So, you text Sara, and I'll text Blake. We'll tell them that we're all meeting at Mitch's boat shed, and then when they show up we'll confront them about this," Mia planned.

Farley gulped. "I really hope this works Mia. For all of us."

"You and me both Farley. You and me both."

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"That should conclude our work today," Denman stated, pulling Sara out of the ocean and onto the deck of the Redemption. They were far out to sea again, testing Sara's abilities on how deep she could go underwater before the pressure became unbearable.

Sara yawned, increasingly tired. The tests had pushed her to her limits, and she was slightly exhausted. "Good. I think I'm done for today anyway. Even with my increased power and endurance in the water, I still can get tired."

Denman tossed a dry towel down to Sara. "We've done well these past few weeks. Although, we do have some ways to go. This isn't just a small paper. It's an entire analysis on the 'mermaid species' for lack of a better term. It takes work, time, and energy. Be patient, and you shall be rewarded," Denman spoke.

"Thanks Doc," Sara added. She vigorously dried her body before her legs appeared once again, and she stood up. Sara headed inside the cabin to where Blake, Elliot, and Laura were chilling around, waiting for her and Denman to get done.

Blake stood immediately when Sara entered. "How did it go?" he asked inquisitively.

"Went pretty good, although it started to tire me out by the very end," Sara explained. "But, as long as I get the answers I'm looking for, I really don't care too much."

"Good to hear. This may actually be working out in your favor, instead of being dissected," Blake added. He turned to Elliot and Laura. "No offense or anything."

Elliot smirked and shook his head. "None taken. Not like you had any reason to trust us at first."

Sara grabbed a seat next to Blake, grabbing her phone off of the table where she left it. Instantly a text appeared on her phone from Farley. She opened it just as Blake's phone rang as well. "I just got a text from Farley," Sara stated.

"Odd. I just got a text from Mia. She says she wants to meet at Mitch's boat house for some reason," Blake stated.

"What? That's what Farley just texted me too…"

"Why would they want us both to go there? Something doesn't seem right…"

"Do… Do you think that…" Sara glanced over at Elliot and Laura suspiciously, before beckoning Blake up and out of the room and into the back storage room.

"Do I think what?" Blake whispered, cramped against Sara in the tight space of the storage room.

"Do you think that Mia, Katy, Farley, and Mitch found out about our dealings with Denman?" Sara asked quietly.

"That's impossible. No way they could've deduced that."

"I don't know… Why else would Farley and Mia text us at the same time asking us to do the same thing? It's too coincidental. Besides, we haven't hung out with them as often as we should. I think that might be what's setting them off."

"What? How could they be so suspicious of that? But it still brings up the question, why would they think of us as together?" Blake questioned.

"Again… I don't know… We have to go find out what's going on."

"Right. But let's not show up together. You go first and I'll show up a few minutes later. If we show up at the same time, their suspicions will only get stronger."

"Ok. But Blake, if they pressure us, you have to promise to keep our deal with Denman a secret. We can't have it getting out. At least…. Not yet," Sara added.

"You can count on me Sara."

"Ok…. Let's get back to the mainland, see what all the fuss is about," Sara affirmed.

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Farley paced back and forth nervously in the main room of Mitch's boat shed. He and Mia had texted Sara and Blake to meet them there. Now, they had to play a painful waiting game for the two others to show up. Things had to go right here, otherwise Farley would lose Sara, and then he would lose all his work and all his effort over the months. So, he continued pacing, anxiety ramping up.

Mitch approached Farley. "Mate, ya gotta be more relaxed. You're not gonna have a good discussion with Sara if you're tense," he suggested.

"Oh yeah. You're not the one dealing with this issue right now. I appreciate the advice, but she's my girlfriend," Farley fired back.

"I've watched my parents fight constantly over the years. If you're anxious, that means she's going to be anxious. If you threaten, she'll just get more defensive. You're both just gonna build up your walls, and nothing is going to be accomplished," Mitch warned.

"Well.. Ok. Fine. You may be right. This just whole thing has me on edge. Why is she being so secretive?" Farley pondered.

"I don't know. But, that's why you're here. To talk it out." Farley nodded. He hated to admit it. But, he knew Mitch was right. He had to play it casually and humbly. Sara hopefully would tell him the truth, whatever that may be. But still, he had to be assertive about what was going on.

It was not a few minutes later when Sara walked in, seemingly cheerful. "Hey guys! What's up?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Well, we all wanted to meet up," Mia alluded. "You're here which is great. Now we just have to wait for Blake to show up."

"Ah… I'm sure he'll get here soon," Sara replied, somewhat coy.

 _Yeah. You'd probably know about it._ Farley thought to himself. "Guess we'll just have to wait a bit then," Farley added.

Soon enough, and almost exactly five minutes later, Blake popped in as well. "How's it going everybody? I made it!" He exclaimed, almost trying to be too cheerful.

"So, what's going on? Why'd you bring us all here?" Sara asked to Farley and Mia.

Farley and Mia glanced at each other, unsure of what to begin. Farley cleared his throat. "Mia and I have been thinking. Well… We've discussed a few things… And…" he trailed off.

"We've noticed the two of you being increasingly secretive over the past few weeks, and it's making Farley and I somewhat concerned that you too are… getting involved with each other behind our backs…" Mia finished.

Sara looked confused. She glanced at Blake for support, but he just shrugged. "Farley. Mia. I don't know what you're so worried about. There's nothing going on between Blake and I. I guarantee it," She reassured them.

Mia nodded to Farley. "Show it to them," she commanded.

Farley pulled out his phone, turning to the picture he had taken earlier that day. He thrust his hand out, showing the photo to both Sara and Blake. Farley watched as Sara's expression went from confusion to shock and then sadness. Blake looked shocked at first, but quickly stifled into a calm demeanor. "You took this today?" She asked.

"Yes. At the marina after I saw you."

"So you followed me from my house to the marina. And that's where you took that picture?" Sara accused.

"I had to find out why you were being so secretive. And that's where I found you, at the marina, with Blake. On some random boat too! Like I don't know who owns the boat but you could've gotten splashed and been in your tail! Revealed to the world!" Farley added. "What's up with that?"

"But why were you spying on us? I swear to god everything is just fine. I am NOT involved with Blake in any way besides friends. What's the problem?"

"Then what has been going on?" Mia asked, entering in. "What have the both of you been doing that excludes us?"

"We can't tell you," Blake admitted.

"Bullshit. I find that impossible to believe," Farley scoffed.

"No! It's true… It's just, this thing… It involves all of us. Blake was someone neutral to go to be my confidant. But that's it!" Sara tried to explain.

"So that's it? You're not involved in any way, but what you are doing you can't tell us. Yet, it includes all of us, and it's only you two doing it? I've heard better excuses in my day," Mia put in. "Honestly, Sara, you're smart. I expected a better story."

"Can I interject?" Katy asked.

"WHAT!" Mia screamed with rage. A normal glass of water sitting next to Mitch's sink exploded. All six of them jumped in fear. Hearts pounding, and no one said anything. After a moment, Mia calmed herself. "I'm sorry Katy. I didn't mean to lose my temper. Please, continue."

Katy stood up from the couch warily. "First of all, anger will get us nowhere in this dialogue. And secondly, Sara. Blake. You need to be honest with us. All of us. Whatever this thing is, we should know about this, especially if it involves the whole group. Due to a misunderstanding, Mia and Farley think you're cheating on them with each other. Do you not see how damaging this can be?"

A tear rolled down Sara's face. "I… I can't… I just can't talk about it."

This time it was Farley's turn to spew. "Well, what a goddamn productive session this has been. Now, if you don't mind, I've got better things to do," he huffed, stepping out of Mitch's boat shed, fast-walking down the road.

"Farley wait!" Sara called, following Farley outside. "Please, wait!"

Farley spun around abruptly, eyeing Sara. "For what? You don't give me any explanation except to trust you. I like to think I'm an understanding person, but at some point I have to draw a line," he explained angrily.

Sara put her head down. Another tear rolled down her cheek. "Does… this mean you're breaking up with me?"

Farley stared out over the canal. He couldn't leave Sara like this. He was too much into it. He had to work it out. "No. Not at this moment. But, I need to think about some things and what you said. I think we need to take a break. If only for a week or two." And with that, Farley turned a strolled out of the clearing, leaving Sara behind, fighting back tears. _This is what I had to do. Relationships are built on honesty. And, I need to take some time think._ Farley concluded. And then, he was gone.

Sara just sat down in the grass, defeated. The whole thing with Denman had blown up in her face the exact opposite as she was expected. Her friendship with Mia was damaged, Farley had put their relationship on a break, and she still hadn't solved anything. If only she could tell them about the research, it would all be better. But, Sara knew at that moment, it was impossible.

 **A more somber chapter today. Only time will tell if Sara is able to mend her relationships and talk about Denman. I want to give a shout out to user Czechm8. His reviews are pretty great and insightful.**


	27. Chapter 27: The Gift

**Chapter 27: The Gift Sara Gave**

"What are you doing for the full moon tonight?" Dr. Denman asked Sara as she pulled herself out of the water and onto the Redemption. Blake, Elliot, and Laura stood behind Denman out of the way. They were finishing up the research for the day. Sara knew she might've gotten into trouble telling Denman about the full moon's effects on her, but she felt it couldn't hurt to talk about some of the important things.. Especially if she was moonstruck, it was another ally to have on her side.

Sara mostly just shrugged as she began drying off. "I… really don't know. I was just gonna lock myself in my room and shut the blinds. I won't stay up much after the sun goes down and just go to bed early." She suggested. She didn't know how it would go with Mia and Katy together with her. Mia was still angry about her and Blake, and that was causing a rift in their friendship. Both their relationships as well were strained. She and Farley were still on a break. Mia was about to break up with Blake, but Sara pleaded for her not to, saying how that there's nothing between her and Blake and that they're so much better together. To which, Mia ultimately relented, opting to stay with Blake for the time being.

"No research with me then?" Denman inquired.

"I don't think so. I would be putting way too much trust in you. Not saying you haven't earned it, but I'd rather still keep to myself," Sara added.

"Sure there's nothing I can do to entice you to stay here for the night? We could get good data. And then we could find a way for you to resist the full moon."

"Linda. Please. I just…. I'm still getting used to this research, even though it's been a month. But.. I need some of my own time ok? I promise we can do more research next full moon. I swear," Sara added.

Denman seemed content, although a bit disgruntled, and she began packing up her science equipment with Elliot and Laura. Blake came over to talk to Sara when the others were out of the way. "Hey. So, maybe you should text Mia and Katy about tonight. You should all stay together. I just don't think it's a good idea to be separate on a full moon," he suggested.

"We've decided to stay by ourselves, Blake. It's better that way. That's what we've decided to do," Sara explained. "Besides, we need to be able to be like… you know… the others that shall not be named. We need to get to a point where we can resist the full moon at all times like them."

"After all that's happened, don't you think it's a good idea to tackle this together? I know we've all been drifting apart lately, and I think you three need to stay together for each other," Blake suggested.

"This is exactly what we need Blake. We need to be able to handle things on our own. Mia and I have been rocky lately, but we're willing to work it out. However, she did bring up a good point that we not only need to look after each other, but we need to learn to look after ourselves as well," Sara rebuttled

Blake nodded. "I understand. Still, I wouldn't recommend it. Then again, this is your thing that you're dealing with. I'm not gonna get in the way of it."

"Yet, you've been involved in this research," Sara countered.

Blake chuckled. "To be fair, you're the one who brought me in on this. I'm just embracing the full interestingness of it all. If interestingness is even a word."

"Well, I'm thankful for your friendship in all of this," Sara complimented. With that, she had gotten dry, and her legs reappeared. Sara stood up quickly. "Even though with the secrecy, we're still risking both of our relationships and friendships."

"It's necessary to keep them in plausible deniability," Blake said. "We have to make sure that if this whole thing goes downhill that the others stay out of it."

Sara pondered for a moment. "Do you think there's ever any way to get the others on Team Mako involved in this?"

Blake shrugged. "Unless you decide to fully trust Dr. Denman, Elliot, and Laura, I don't see any other way that we can go about it."

Sara nodded. She couldn't bear the thought of Mia and Katy getting hurt because of her mistakes. She wouldn't let it happen. She and Blake went into the bridge where Denman was at the helm, ready to head back.

Meanwhile, Elliot had overheard Blake and Sara discussing about several others. There were others who knew about Sara's secret, not just Blake. Maybe, just maybe, there were other mermaids that Sara was friends with. Yet, the only way they could meet them is through Sara's trust. So, he kept it to himself.

Laura had glanced in Sara's direction when She and Blake entered. Sara had to give her and Elliot some credit. They almost never stared at her anymore, after getting used to a mermaid over the weeks. They were now more invested in the research than Sara herself was. "Ready to go?" Denman asked.

"Let's get back to the mainland," Sara affirmed.

Denman nodded, and she started to engines. She turned the Redemption around and headed back toward shore. "You know, you could just as easily swim back. It would take much less effort and time," Denman suggested.

"Well, how would I know you wouldn't kidnap and torture Blake after I left?" Sara joked to them all. Blake didn't find it too funny, but he tried to laugh along with them.

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Sara sat in her room, alone, and bored out of her mind. She returned home immediately after getting back from the research trip. And now, the moon was up, so she was stuck inside her room. She kept in constant text contact with Mia and Katy, as they still wanted to talk, even though they were all in their rooms doing nothing as well. Sara had resorted to watching videos and movies on her phone, knowing that soon she would just fall asleep and wake up when the sun was back up. All would be well!

Her phone beeped, and she looked at it. It was a message from Farley. "I know we've had our differences lately… But I just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you tonight on the full moon. Stay safe :)" it read. Sara smiled cheekily, one tear of joy forming in her eye. Even with everything going on, and despite being on a break, Farley still cared deeply about her. He was caring, understanding, and tenacious, everything she wanted him to be and more.

She texted back. "Thank you Farley. I'm sorry about everything going on with me. But, I promise you, this will all turn out ok." Sara mulled it around in her head. She could tell Farley about Denman. Maybe. This could help him understand, possibly. But, it still needed to be kept from Mia and Katy. _I just can't do it now. Sorry Farley. Soon, I promise you. Same with Mia, Katy, and Mitch. I will tell you all about what's going on._

Sara laid back down on her bed. She hated being this bored, but it was better than being moonstruck, by a long shot. So, she was willing to take a night of boredom in order to be safe rather than sorry. It wasn't only the boredom weighing on her, but the anxiety from her situation with Denman and the rifts with her friends and Farley. That's what really was affecting her negatively.

Curiously, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Confused, she opened it to reveal her father standing there. "Oh… Hey Dad… What's up?" Sara asked.

"Just wanted to see what you were doing. You're actually home tonight instead of being out with your friends," Paul stated, stepping into her room.

"I'm just watching some movies on my phone. Nothing too special. Mia, Katy, and I decided to just have a night in by ourselves. Take a break for at least one night." Sara spoke.

"How about we do some family stuff then? You know like a family game night or something along those lines. What do you say?" Paul asked.

Sara shrugged passively. "I don't think I'm feeling it tonight. I'm kinda tired, so I was thinking of going to bed early."

"Come on Sara, it'll be fun!"

"Dad. I don't feel like it ok? I want some alone time," Sara fired back, trying not to sound too annoyed.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Are you doing alright Sara? You've been somewhat distant over the past month or so. And, being your father, it is my duty to make sure everything is alright."

Sara shrugged. "I feel fine honestly. There's nothing going on with me right now."

"Is it boy troubles? Did you break up with Farley? Or at least are you going through relationship trouble?" Her father asked.

Sara hesitated for a moment. "I mean, we kinda are on a break right now. But, it shouldn't be long. We just needed some time to ourselves." She added a touch of truth to make it somewhat more believable. For obvious reasons, she couldn't talk about the actual problems she and Farley were dealing with including the whole mermaid research thing.

Paul put his hand on Sara's shoulder. "I'm really glad to hear that you were able to work things out on your own. Shows that you're growing up."

Sara smiled, if only a little bit. "Thank you Dad." And she gave him a big hug.

Her father released her. He looked up at the windows, stepping towards them. "Why are all your blinds completely shut? It's a clear night. You should enjoy the view of the stars from here," he spoke.

"No no wai-" But Sara was too late. Paul thrust open the blinds, revealing the night sky. And, there was the moon. Sara stared straight into, losing herself in its light.

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Paul turned back toward his daughter. Sara had a blank look on her face as she stared up into the night sky. "Are you alright Sara?" he asked.

Sara shook her head, looking straight at Paul, big smile on her face. "I'm doing great, Father. Although, I'm feeling more energetic now. So, I think I'm gonna go for a walk. See ya!" Sara spoke before, heading quickly out of her room and down the stairs, leaving Paul in her room quite confused.

 _What on earth is going on with her?_ Paul pondered to himself. He hadn't an answer. He exited Sara's room and headed downstairs, but Sara had already left the house.

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Farley was sitting in his living room, lazily watching television. His mind kept flashing to Sara, as it was the full moon. Yeah, he was worried about her of course, but he didn't want to interfere with whatever was going on. As much as he hated to admit, it pained him that Sara was being so secretive. _I guess I have to just trust her. But I don't even know what I'm putting my trust in!_

He jumped when the doorbell rang, breaking him out of his thoughtful state. "I'll get it Dad!" he called, heading toward the front door. He opened it to reveal Sara smiling at him. "Hey Sara. What's going on?"

Sara took a step and gave him a peck on the lips, much to Farley's surprise. "I wanted to see you tonight," she spoke, heading through Farley's house without pause. Farley kept up with her, concerned.

"But what are you doing outside your home? It's the full moon. You should stay inside," Farley put in, trying to help her. But, he realized something odd about her behavior. "Wait… you're already moonstruck aren't you…" Sara just smiled bigger at him. Farley groaned, shaking his head. "Ok. We gotta contact Mia and Katy and get this fixed somehow."

"NO!" Sara exclaimed suddenly, and Farley jumped back at the outburst. Sara cooled for a moment. "I just want you tonight. I have something to give you. A gift. The greatest gift you will ever receive. And then, we can get back together."

Before Farley could respond, his father, having heard the commotion, came into the living room to see the two of them. "Hello Sara!" he spoke quite friendly.

"Hello Mr. Davis!" Sara exclaimed. "Just here to see Farley!" With that, Sara grabbed Farley's shirt and almost dragged him through his porch out towards the backyard. Farley protested, but Sara kept going. He looked at his father for support, but Richard just chuckled to himself.

They approached the small dock where Farley's boat was tied up. "Sara… You said you had a gift for me? What is this? What's going on? Why is it the greatest gift ever?" he questioned incessantly.

Sara stopped on the dock, turning back toward Farley. She giggled flirtatiously. "I have a gift to give you Farley. An awesome gift that you will enjoy. It'll prove how much I love you."

Farley balked at the word love. "Uh… I know you're moonstruck… But… What's this goddamn gift? And for how much you… love me? But we're on a break and everything..."

"Don't be silly," Sara joked. She stepped up toward Farley and kissed him passionately.

Farley's mind fogged, and he almost lost himself in the kiss. When she broke away, she whispered into his ear. "Meet me at the Moon Pool." With that, she ran for the canal, diving into the dark waters. She raced away from Farley's house, leaving him flabbergasted on his small pier.

"God damn it! What is up with her?" Farley exclaimed. He jumped into his boat and started the engine. He gunned the motor, steering the boat down the canal, heading out toward the open ocean. _Something is definitely going on with her, more than just being moonstruck. And, I don't like it. The moon is too unpredictable. Sure I've seen her act weird before, but that's usually her just wanting to swim to Mako. Why does the moonstruck Sara want to give me a gift?_

Farley didn't have an answer to any of the questions. He had to deal with this here and now. As his boat broke through the canals and into open waters, he gunned the throttle. He debated contacting the rest of Team Mako, but he rejected. He had to see what was up with Sara by himself.

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Farley arrived at Mako as soon as he could, the volcanic peak illuminated under the bright light of the full moon. He pulled up his boat onto the beach, and he tore through the jungle, following the path he had used many times before to reach the Moon Pool. A tree branch smacked his face and he cursed in anger, swearing that he would find out what in the hell was wrong with Sara. He pulled himself up the main rock formation, jumping down into the cave below.

Farley made it through the cavern and emptied out into the Moon Pool chamber. There, Sara floated in the water, staring straight into Farley's eyes unblinking. "Ok… Sara. I'm here… Where's this gift you want to give me?" Farley asked somewhat nerviously.

Sara smiled at him her creepy moonstruck smile. She beckoned him toward her. "Come to me my love." She instructed.

Farley walked forward cautiously, unsure what Sara had in mind for a plan. He wasn't going to take any chances. He needed to be on his guard. "What is this about Sara? And why do you keep calling me your love?" he asked.

"Closer. Closer," Sara commanded. Farley stopped at the edge of the Moon Pool, wary of the waters lapping just below his shoes.

"Ok… Now what Sara? I'm here with you. What do you want with me?" Farley asked, staring down at her. "Where's the 'greatest gift'?"

Sara giggled. "It's almost time!" She exclaimed staring skyward. Farley looked up, following her gaze, but he only saw the starry night sky above him.

"Time? What time? What do you mean?" But Sara didn't answer. She just disappeared under the water of the Moon Pool, leaving Farley befuddled above her. "This is just great," Farley moaned. "Sara's gone completely crazy. What the hell am I doing here anyway? I just-"

He didn't finish. Sara springboarded herself out of the Moon Pool and up to where Farley was. She grabbed the collar of his shirt in both hands. And, when gravity took over, she fell backward into the Moon Pool, Farley being yanked with her. They both crashed into the waters with a giant splash. Farley panicked for a moment, righting himself underneath the burning saltwater. He burst his head out of the water's surface, breathing deeply, his lungs filling with precious oxygen. Sara appeared in front of him, smile still showing.

"Sara! What the hell was that for!? Why did you drag me into the moon pool?" He yelled, moving his hair back and out of his face.

Sara smiled. "Now is the time." she stated flatly.

"What is-" But he couldn't finish. Sara locked her lips upon his. Her kiss was toxic. Farley could feel himself being lost in it, but he didn't care. His mind was clouded, and all he cared about in that moment was that exact kiss. Nothing else around him mattered. As he felt Sara's touch, he knew he was in love with her. He remained lost in the kiss for several minutes. His mind was awash with her beauty and grace. All he felt was her lips against his, and that was an amazing feeling. He was there with her, and in that moment that's all that mattered. Suddenly, Sara broke contact. Farley lost focus for several seconds as he began to get his mind back. "Whoa… That was … amazing…." he spoke slowly, when he was coherent again.

Sara smiled a sweet smile at him. "That, was my gift. Enjoy it. It is the greatest gift for you. You belong with me now more than ever," She stated. Before Farley could ask what she meant, Sara disappeared under the surface and shot out of the Moon Pool.

Farley pulled himself out of the Moon Pool and onto the dry ground. _That was one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had. I hope it was worth something. But her gift… was a kiss? The greatest gift she could ever give was a kis? Why would that be so special?_ He thought to himself. Sara was long gone now, leaving him wet, cold, and alone in the Moon Pool cavern. Shaking it off, he headed back toward his boat and away from Mako.

As he pulled his boat back into his pier in the dark of night, he pondered what had occurred that night. _I need to talk to Sara in the morning. Maybe normal her might have some perspective on why moonstruck her would've done that. Even though she probably won't remember anything._ Farley only shrugged. It was the best lead he had to go on.

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The next morning, Farley woke up tired and groggy. He had little sleep the night before. He kept tossing and turning and going over in his head about Sara. Why did she want him to go to Mako Island that night? Was it just for that kiss in the Moon Pool? Was that it? He had to discuss with Sara about it that day. For now, he laboriously rolled himself out of bed, his head pounding from lack of sleep.

Farley waddled over to his bathroom, hopping into the shower. He turned on the water, feeling it run over his face. The warmth felt wonderful, and it was exactly what he needed. After the night he had, it-

Adrenaline shot through Farley as a tingling sensation raced up his legs. All of a sudden, his feet gave out from under him and he began to fall backward unexpectedly. He braced himself, slamming his back into the shower wall behind him. The shower head continued spraying his face. He shut his eyes, flailing blindly for the shower knob. His legs felt paralyzed. It was as if he couldn't move them apart, like they were tied together. He shut the knob off as soon as his fingers hit the knob, and the water ceased. _What made me fall? What's going on with me this morning?_

Farley cleared his eyes and opened them. He almost screamed. Starting from his stomach and going downward was a long blue fin glistening in the bathroom light, stretching where his legs used to be. _Oh fuck... This was it. This was the gift Sara gave me. This was her idea of the greatest gift. This is what she wanted. She gave me a tail. She turned me into a goddamn merman._

 **So there you have it. A merman has entered the story. Of course it would be Farley. Props to Markzilla6895 who predicted this months ago. Stay tuned for next chapter to see what Farley does about his tail.**


	28. Chapter 28: Merman Form

**And now, the thrilling continuation of Farley as a merman. Let's see what happens!**

 **Chapter 28: Merman Form**

Farley lay still for several minutes staring at his sapphire blue tail. His breath was labored and quick. Everything had changed. Sara had turned him into a merman. _Why did she do this to me? I mean… She was moonstruck… But still! Why? What the fuck was she thinking?_ Farley ran his hand down its length, feeling the rough and slimy scales beneath his fingers.

Pulling himself out of his shock, Farley pulled himself out of the tub slowly, adrenaline pumping. He collapse onto the bathroom floor, his tail unfurling from him. He frantically reached upward, grasping a towel from the rack and pulling it down to where he was lying. He quickly ran it up and down his body, trying to dry himself off.

After a few tense minutes, the last of the water was dried off of Farley's body, and his legs promptly returned to their usual position. The sensation was weird and tingly. He jumped to his feet, breathing heavily. This was too much. He had to talk to someone. _Who do I tell about this? What do I do?_

Farley quickly put his clothes on, and he headed outside. He needed to clear his head. Maybe a walk would help. _This is just a bad dream right? Right? No. This is real. It has to be. Fuck._ He paced quickly down the street, forgetting about his surroundings. Too many thoughts invaded his mind, and he could barely thing clearly. _Who can I talk to about this? I can't tell Sara, that would kill her to find out what she did to me. Blake's been too secretive, I can't trust him right now. Scratch Mia, Katy, and Mitch as well. Shit. Who do I tell? Shit!_ Farley nervously kept going through his mind on what he could do. What was he going to do? His life was changed forever. Was it all gonna be ok? Sara enjoyed her tail. But would he?

Without realizing it, he found himself outside of Rikki's Cafe. It dawned on him. One person knew more about this than anything. It was his only chance for answers. Farley entered the Cafe. A young waitress was cleaning behind the counter, so Farley went straight to the office. He thrust open the office door quickly. Zane, having been staring at his computer, jumped in shock when Farley entered. "Farley? What are you doing here? Also, there's a thing called knocking if you didn't know that," Zane spoke up.

Farley entered quickly, locking the door behind him. "Zane… I need to talk to you about something…" Farley said slowly, unsure of how to go about it. "It's…. A big thing…"

Zane turned to Farley. "What's going on? Is it relationship issues with Sara? I've heard about the rocky issues in your group from Mia. I also hear you and Sara are on a break right now. I can try and help. Rikki and I definitely had our moments over the years," Zane chuckled. "Did I tell…"

"Zane please!" Farley interrupted, "Well… This is different Zane. This is much more serious… I guarantee," Farley started to pace back and forth.

Zane scowled. "Why are you coming to talk to me about this? Isn't there someone else in your friend group you could go to?" Zane asked.

"No… You know the most about this… I need your help… I just need a neutral person to help."

"Farley. I have no idea what you're talking about. Quit being coy about it and just tell me what's going on already."

"Ok. Ok. I will explain. I swear." Farley looked and saw a glass of water sitting on Zane's desk. He walked over and swiped it away. It was the only thing Farley could think of doing.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Zane protested.

"Zane, don't freak out. But, this is what's going on." Farley gulped, and he poured the water onto his hand, then promptly sat down on the office couch to avoid falling.

"What was that f-" Zane's voice caught in his throat. A sudden realization came over him. Sure enough, Farley's tail appeared, unfurling its blue length along the floor. Farley looked up at Zane, fear and confusion in his eyes. In that moment, anxiety ripped through Farley, like he had just made a huge mistake. "Farley… What the hell is this? How did this happen? Did you do this to yourself on purpose? Why are you a merman?"

"It happened last night. It was an accident! I swear! Sara caused it when she was moonstruck! I didn't purposefully do this to me!" Farley exclaimed rapidly. "I'm scared shitless about it."

"Tell me. Now. How did this happen?" Zane commanded. "The whole story too. And don't bullshit me."

Farley quickly recapped the past couple weeks with his and Sara's growing rift, and them going on a break. He talked about the night before when moonstruck Sara said she wanted to give him a gift to get them both back together. He finished with the kiss in the Moon Pool and how he ended up this morning as a merman.

Zane had an unmoving and blank look on his face. He studied Farley in his merman form, trying to think of something. Farley began to ramp up his anxiety once again. _This was a bad idea. Really bad._ He thought.

Eventually Zane spoke. "We have to do something about this," he stated.

"You're telling me," Farley quipped. "What am I going to do?"

"Ok.. At this moment telling your friends is out of the question… At least for now. Soon yes, but especially the fact that Sara caused this makes it somewhat more complicated." Zane reached back and tossed Farley a towel. "Dry yourself off. I'm going to teach you everything I know about this thing."

Farley dried himself off quickly, his legs and clothes returning. He stood up, his heart pounding. Zane got up from his desk as well. "Alright come on, let's go."

Farley followed Zane out into the main Cafe. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see. Come on," Zane replied, and he led Farley out of the Cafe and down toward the docks. Zane stopped at his boat tied down. He turned to Farley. "Ok. I want you to jump into the water. When your tail appears, stay underwater. Swim straight toward Mako Island. You should have an internal homing mechanism of some kind that'll lead you there no problem. At least, that's what the girls explained to me. But until you get there, stay underwater at all times. You can't afford to be seen. I'll meet you there. Head toward the beach on the far side of the island. We need to stay away from places that Sara, Mia, and Katy might go."

"Are you sure about this? I don't know…" Farley trailed off.

"Don't be scared like a little bitch Farley. You need to learn how to do this now. Either I can push you into the marina, or you can get in yourself. Doesn't matter to me. You've seen the others do this a million times. Just do it already." Zane asserted.

Farley grumbled. He lowered himself onto the dock, then slid into the water, staying under the surface. His tail appeared momentarily, once again. When it did, Farley noticed how immediately calm he felt. It was a feeling like he was meant to be under the water with his tail. It was bizarre. _It's like I meant to be here. So… This is how Sara feels in the water. Now I understand. Ok. Let's try this out._

Farley turned outward toward the open ocean. He felt a strange pull in his mind, as if a compass was pointing him in a certain direction. _That must be the way toward Mako Island!_ He tested out a few kicks of his tail, which propelled him quickly through the water. Farley smiled. _So this is the joy Sara feels in the water._ Wanting to see how fast he could go, he kicked his tail hard in succession, and he flew forward in a jolt.

Farley felt a sheer joy as he shot through the water, heading toward the general direction of Mako Island. He eagerly pushed his limits, increasing speed as he raced toward the Island. It wasn't long before he spotted the upsloping ocean floor, signalling a land mass ahead. Farley noted it and switched direction, heading around the island for the far side.

It barely took a minute for Farley to circle the island, poking his head out of water to spot the beach that Zane had designated. He swam ashore, dragging himself onto the dry ground. He pulled heavily with his strong arms, as his tail was useless on land. When he was clear of the waves and tide, he collapsed backward onto the sand. He needed to get used to this.

 _What if… I have powers?_ Farley pondered. _I could dry myself much more easier._ He racked his brain, thinking back to how the girls activated their powers. He held out his hand over his tail, focusing on his control. He tightened his fist.

Sure enough, steam began to rise off his tail as the water was being boiled away. Farley winced as the heated water stung his scales. But, in no time at all, the water was gone, leaving Farley back in his legs once again. _So… I have Mia's power of boiling. That's… new…_ He stood up, brushing the sand from his clothes. _But why would I have that power specifically?_

It was a few minutes later when Zane's boat appeared, approaching the beach. Farley waved him down, and Zane steered toward him. Zane stopped the boat, and pulled it up the beach and out of the tide. He approached Farley. "How was the swim?" he asked. "You made it here by the looks of it."

"Yeah. I made it ," Farley replied. "Oh my god Zane, that was so exhilarating! That was one of the greatest experiences of my life! Like, how do the girls ever want to leave the ocean?"

"You're beginning to sound like how Rikki used to talk about it," Zane chuckled. "She always talked about how great it was. But you have to remember. This is a serious thing. Your life will never be the same from now on."

Farley nodded quickly. "There's something else as well," he said. "When I got here, I used Mia's power to dry myself. For some reason I have her power to boil water? I mean… Why would I have her power?"

"That doesn't make sense," Zane added. "You were in the Moon Pool with Sara… I'm not sure if that would mean anything still. But, why would you get Mia's powers? Maybe…" Zane went into his boat, pulling out a bucket which he filled with seawater. He placed it down in from of Farley. "Show me."

Farley held out his hand like I did some minutes before and clenched. The water began to boil lightly at first, then eventually to a violent bubbling. It surprised Farley, and he jumped back. The water returned to normal. Zane pondered. "That's interesting. What if… Try a different hand position. Try to control the water like you're wanting to lift it." he spoke. "There may be more to your powers than we think. And, it's important we check all angles. I've never known a merman, so your powers could be wildly different."

Farley nodded his head. He held out his hand again. This time he changed his hand position and focused on the water rising out of the bucket. To his and Zane's surprise, the water quickly rose out of the bucket in a tentacle shape, snaking into the air. Farley halted the stream of water in the air. It stood there, hanging in the air. Farley thrust his hand left, commanding the water. Sure enough it shot that way with extreme force, landing on the beach many meters away.

"That was awesome!" Farley exclaimed. "I have both Sara's and Mia's powers then!"

Zane nodded. "That appears to be the case. For fun, let's see if you have Katy's freezing power as well. That would mean you have all the powers of the mermaids."

Farley waited as Zane refilled the bucket and brought it back up. Farley readied himself. This time, he thrust out his hand quickly, similar to how he had seen Katy do it before. Sure enough, the water in the bucket cooled and froze, although it took a few seconds and wasn't simultaneous.

Farley lowered his hand as he and Zane stared at the bucket. "Looks like you've got all three of the girls' powers," Zane noted.

"That's insane! I don't even know what to think about it…"

"Here's something I noticed though," Zane added. "Both your boiling and freezing water were slower than what I've seen from Mia and Katy. But, when controlling water, you were able to control it extremely quickly and effectively, and you were able to shoot the water across the beach with ease."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you were in the Moon Pool with Sara at the time when you were changed. Or maybe it has to do with the fact you're closest to her, so your power was increased because of that. I really don't know. Lewis is the mermaid scientist, not me."

Farley stared out over the sea. "What now?" he asked, sitting down onto the sand.

"That's really up to you," Zane replied, taking a seat next to him. "Soon you're going to need to talk to the girls about this whole thing, and how they're not the only mers in the ocean now. Sara needs to know especially. She's probably worried about what she did last night. She deserves the right to know. You'll have to face the three of them eventually either way."

"I just… I need time. There's so much going on right now," Farley stated. "I'm going to need a few days before I will be confident enough to reveal it to them."

"The longer you wait, the hard it'll be," Zane warned.

"Maybe so…"

"One thing I will say. Before you decide to tell them, avoid this area of the ocean as much as you can until you decide to tell the girls. You don't want them spotting you swimming about. That'll only make it worse. It's better to just tell them about it. Trust me, waiting too long will not work out in your favor."

"Understood. I'm glad I have you here as a mentor, Zane," Farley spoke.

"Don't give me too much credit. But still, I'm glad to help you out with this," Zane paused for a moment. "What are you thinking right now?"

"I don't know. A million thoughts are racing through my head right now. Where do I go from here? How do I tell Sara? How do I survive not being able to touch water? I'm also thinking about good things as well, like how much of a rush I felt swimming here. The excitement of having powers. There's just too much to analyze right now," Farley explained.

"Keep at it Farley. I'm on your side. I'm sure Sara, Mia, and Katy will be ok with you as well. It'll all work out in the end."

"Right. Thank you Zane. Now, I'm going to try swimming more if you don't mind," Farley spoke.

Zane smirked, stepping out of Farley's way. "Be my guest!" Farley grinned, standing up and sprinting off toward the ocean. "Be safe!"Zane called behind him, but Farley wasn't listening. He dove beneath the waves as his tail appeared, and he swam toward the deeper water.

The water was incredibly still as Farley rocketed through. He loved the feeling of being free as he swam. The scared feeling he had melted away with each stroke of his powerful tail. He raced in the direction of the mainland. The water was crystal clear around him, and he could easily see all around.

His speed was too fast. Farley failed to notice three objects moving quickly in the water toward him. He saw them just in time to slide to the left, flying in between two of the three fast-moving subjects that roared past him at lightning speed, as he sped past them. Farley tumbled forward, out of control before coming to a stop, dizzy and confused. _What was that? Dolphins? Or… Shit… That could've been Sara, Mia, and Katy! But, that's impossible!_ Farley wasn't going to take any chances. He increased his speed to maximum and fled, hoping that if it was them, he wouldn't be recognized

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Sara, Mia, and Katy were in normal swimming mode, racing toward Mako Island when something rocketed in between Sara and Katy, throwing them spinning away in the wake. The two of them stumbled to a stop underwater, with Mia turning around to get back to them. _What in the hell was that?_ Sara asked telepathically.

 _Don't look at me! I didn't see what it was. It was moving extremely fast. And, it was large too!_ Katy replied.

 _What was it? A dolphin? Shark?_ Sara questioned.

 _Neither of those could move that fast! And if it was a shark or dolphin, it would've circled back around._ Mia exclaimed.

 _Ok, whatever it is, let's head to Mako Island right away in case it comes back._ Sara put in. The other two agreed, and they all raced away for the Moon Pool. They surfaced up into the cavern, breathless after their accelerated swim. "What… do you think that thing was?" Sara questioned.

"Well… If it wasn't a dolphin or a shark, what could it be?" Katy pondered.

"Could it be… another mermaid?" Mia asked.

"Oh come on. That's impossible," Sara shot out.

"Is it though? Last night was a full moon after all," Katy added.

"Yeah, and who could master swimming that quickly after just one day? That's impossible," Sara retorted.

"We started swimming the day after, so it can't seem that far-fetched," Mia argued. "But still… We don't know enough about it."

"Let's go under the assumption that it wasn't a new mermaid. It would be too crazy to think that someone else would've gotten into the Moon Pool last night…" Sara put in. "The odds of that happening are extremely low."

"I suppose so. Unless we have evidence of that, we'll be worrying about nothing," Katy agreed.

"Ok. So, no new mermaid. Got it," Mia relented. The three of them began to relax. The idea of a new mermaid fading from their minds. It wouldn't be plausible.

"How was the full moon for you all?" Katy asked after a minute.

"Fine for me. No problems whatsoever," Mia chimed in. "Maybe we should do this separate every time. When we all do it together, it all goes to shit in the most spectacular ways."

"Yeah totally. No problems here either!" Sara lied nervously. "But still, I'll be glad when we get to Cleo, Rikki, and Bella's point where we can just resist the pull of the full moon no matter what." Sara gulped. She couldn't tell them about her getting moonstruck the night before. So far, it didn't seem like anything bad had happened. Her father had noted her weird behavior. But, he hadn't been tipped off on anything else. So, Sara wanted to keep it that way.

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Meanwhile, Farley was in a predicament. He got lost among the canals trying to find his way back home. It took him some time, but he eventually found his way back. He was underwater in the canal right behind his house. However, his back dock was too open to dry off completely without the possibility of being seen. He frowned, staring up at his boat bobbing in the water above him. _Well, this isn't going to work out too well._ For several minutes, he contemplated what he could do.

Farley circled around for a better option. It was then that he looked up to see a small alcove next to a dock. He popped his eyes slightly above the water line. Surprising, he was right outside the back of Sara's house. _This must be the spot she uses to dry off._

Farley broke through the surface, crawling up onto the land. He spun around, laying on his back. He rested for a moment on the dry land, tired yet content. He loved the sheer excitement of swimming with his tail. And, he understood what Sara loved so much about it. He lifted up and extended his hand. Steam rolled off his body as he hyper-dried the water using his heat powers.

Within a few minutes, Farley's legs returned and he stood up promptly. _I wonder if I'll ever get used to that feeling…_ Farley stared out over the canal, watching the water. He had a newfound respect for the ocean, considering he was connected to it now. Farley crawled out toward the side yard of Sara's house.

"Farley?" sounded a voice behind him. He jumped skyward in shock and spun around. In his confusion, he lost his footing and slammed forward onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him. After coughing for a few seconds, trying to regain his breath, he looked up to see Sara approach in the canal staring up at him from the alcove he had just left a minute ago.

"Oh hey Sara!" Farley called, carefully pulling himself back to his feet, easing his pained ribs.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked. "I see you've found my secret spot to dry off."

"I mean I was just coming over to talk to you about things... Had a chat with your parents and they said you weren't here but you'd be back soon… So I just came out here thinking you'd be coming back from Mako… And here you are!" Farley sputtered. He was lying through his teeth, but it was the best he could do. He couldn't tell her he was a merman yet.

"Well, I'm back! Mind if you help me out here?" Sara asked, extending a hand up to Farley. Farley took one glance at her palm, soaked in water. He couldn't do it. He would be exposed immediately.

Farley backed up. "Uh… Sorry… Sara… I can't. I just remembered. I have to help my father with something. I'll text you later!" He sputtered. Farley turned tail and jogged away from Sara, leaving her flabbergasted.

Sara pulled herself up out of the water, shaking her head. _What's wrong with him?_ She pondered. Using her powers, she dried herself. She walked up toward the house, entering in through the back door. She found her parents watching TV on the couch when she came in, enjoying the lazy sunday. "Hey, did you guys notice anything strange about Farley when he came in here?" Sara asked.

Her parents turned toward her. "Farley never came here. I haven't seen him yet today," Karen spoke. Paul nodded as well.

Sara looked puzzled at her parents. "Farley didn't come and ask where I was?"

"No. We haven't seen him at all. What are you talking about? I thought you two were on a break." Paul asked.

Sara froze. Why did Farley lie to her? What was he hiding? "Oh nothing. Thought he came by earlier. Anyway, I'm up to my room!" And, she was upstairs before her parents could respond. As Sara sat on her bed, she pondered why Farley had lied to her. What would cause him to be so secretive? She reached for her phone and called him, only to receive no answer. _Ok Farley. I'll play it your way. I'm going to find out what's going with you._

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The next day, Sara was determined. She was going to find out what was going on with Farley. When she saw him the day before, he completely lied to her face. It was a bad lie, but still, what could he have to hide.

Sara peered out her window toward Farley's house. No movement was seen. She wanted to catch him and talk to him on the way to school. It was getting close to class time, and nothing. Sara grabbed her backpack just to be safe. She wanted to wait for Farley, but she wanted to make sure she could make it on time to class.

Then, Sara saw motion at Farley's front door. Sara saw in confusion as Farley shouldered his backpack and burst out the door. He looked cautiously around for a moment before sprinting down the street and out of sight. Sara couldn't even react. She was dumbfounded. _He has to be ignoring me now! That's the only thing to explain his behavior._

Sara watched as Farley sprinted off into the distance, far too gone for her to catch up with him. A million questions rattled through Sara's mind but she shook them off. She was going to get to the bottom of it, but slowly.

Instead, she met up with Mia and Katy outside of the school grounds. "Hey, have you noticed anything strange with Farley lately?" Sara asked.

"What do you mean?" Mia replied. "We don't hang out with him enough to notice anything really odd about him, especially after you two went on a break."

"I know, but this feels different. He texted me a few nights ago saying he was thinking about me. Then… I don't know. Yesterday I see him in my backyard for no reason. And he lies straight to my face. Then he tries to avoid my questions and runs away! This morning he sprinted away from his house like he was trying to escape something? I don't know. I think he might be trying to avoid me," Sara explained.

"Like Mia said, you two are on break. I wouldn't worry about it too much," Katy consoled. "If so, who cares?"

"I care. I still really like Farley. I still want to date him, but this is what I have to deal with," Sara added.

"Maybe it was karma for your 'business deal' with Blake," Mia sneered.

"Stop it Mia. I don't want to get into this now," Sara replied sternly.

"Fine. I'm just gonna say, don't let it come back against you," Mia spoke before walking away to her class.

Sara sighed. "Cheer up, Sara," Katy added. "It'll all work itself out."

"I hope so Katy, I really hope so." Sara didn't have any confidence in that though. Farley was purposely trying to avoid her. And it hurt her. She had no idea why Farley would act like it. Only time would tell what was going on.


	29. Chapter 29: Ruining Everything

**Chapter 29: Ruining Everything**

A week passed. A week since Farley had become a merman. Every day at school was nerve-racking. He constantly feared being splashed by anyone and everyone around him. So, Farley instead became reclusive. He rarely talked to Sara, Blake, or anyone. He visited Zane at times when he could chance it. He needed tips and information on how to live and survive as what he was. It was the only way he felt safe and secure.

The worst he felt was how he treated Sara. She texted him a lot, wanting answers, but he just ignored her, unsure of what to even say to her. He decided he needed to tell Sara everything when the weekend rolled around. It was time to mend fences.

Farley paced in his room Saturday morning, wondering how she would react to the news. He hadn't had a full conversation with here in a week. He was now a merman, and she was the one who caused it. What would she think about what happened? Farley continued pacing back and forth. _Would she understand? I don't know. God she probably hates me now. I know we're on a break, but we were talking still before this. I decided to fully ghost her, but I need to get her to fully understand._ Finally, he knew what he needed to do.

He dialed her number, hoping for the best. "Hello Farley. Fancy talking to you" Sara spoke flatly on the other line.

"Hey Sara. Listen, I think we need to talk," Farley replied, his hands shaking back and forth as anxiety came through.

"Ah… I see.. You want to talk? What happened over the last week? Too chickenshit to talk to me then? I get we're on a break, but you suddenly just ghost me out of the blue? I thought we had something better than that," Sara blasted.

"I've been going through some difficult times lately… But, it's important that I tell you what's been going on. Please Sara. All things will be cleared up."

Sara scoffed. "I hope so for your sake. You've done nothing over the past week but ignore me and make excuses. So, you better come with a grade "A" explanation. Meet me at Rikki's Cafe as soon as you can." Then, she hung up.

A drop of sweat rolled down Farley's face. This was it. He had to be ready for anything. Sara was going to kill him if this didn't work out in his favor. He cautiously exited the house, feeling the bright sun on his face. Taking a jog, he arrived at the Cafe quickly. He stopped some meters from the entrance. He paced back and forth, nervously debating whether to go on with it. _No. I have to do this. I have to make Sara understand. Time to tell her everything. But still, this is the angriest I've seen her. I hope it can all work out._

Gathering all his courage, he entered into the Cafe. Normal activity swirled all around. He scanned the room, searching for Sara. Farley spotted the back of her head at a booth all by herself. He walked over fast as he could, pulling himself into a seat right across from her. Sara only played with the straw in a glass of water in front of her, seemingly ignorant to Farley's entrance. "Sara… I'm really sorry about everything… I promise I will explain. I meant to talk to you, but I've been having issues lately," Farley stammered quickly.

"Issues? Like what?" Sara questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's hard to explain…"

Sara rolled her eyes. "So… you call me here wanting to talk after a week of ignoring me, and then when asked about what's going on you just say 'it's hard to explain.' Call me crazy, but it sounds like you're just trying to make excuses. I know you're better than that Farley, otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to date you."

"It's not! What's been going on with me is, well, a big deal, and I don't know how to talk about it exactly. It's almost impossible to talk about."

"It can't be that hard! I doubt there's anything that serious you couldn't talk about with me!"

"It's also about you as well."

"Really. Like you want to get back together? Ha! Sounds like you just have secrets you want to keep from me. Because that's not much of an excuse for completely ghosting me."

"Look I'm trying here ok! And don't put this all on me. You still haven't told me about that bullshit that's going on with Blake!" Farley exclaimed, anger raising.

"That's a complicated issue!" 

"Well good to know, because my thing is also a complicated issue! Don't act like you can get all high and mighty on me. You've got problems too!"

"Don't dare to pretend to know what I'm going through! You know nothing Farley Davis!"

"And, you're using my full name for emphasis! Congrats Sara! You're trying way too hard. I came here to mend fences. But it looks like that's impossible now! You're just trying way too hard to be edgy and powerful. And it ends up making you look like a bi-"

Farley didn't get a chance to finish. Enraged by Farley's rant, Sara picked up her glass and thrust the water at Farley angrily.

Farley's anger had evaporated, but unfortunately the water soaking him hadn't. It was ten seconds until his tail appeared right there in the middle of the Cafe, exposed for everyone to see. He had to get free. Now! He burst out of the booth, heading straight for the office despite Sara's surprise and protests. Zane looked on from the counter in shock. Farley pulled the door open and slammed it behind him as he crossed into the empty office just in time. He fell backward onto the couch, his tail appearing with a shimmer and tingling sensation. He breathed a sigh of relief, although his heart was still racing. He was safe and out of sight.

Sara noticed Farley's extreme and sudden departure in surprise and anger. She had just splashed him with water. Why was he in such a… _No. No no no no no no no. That's impossible! But that's…_ Sara swiftly moved to the office door, knocking on it. "Farley? Are you ok? What's going on with you?" she questioned.

"D-don't come in!" Farley shouted, frantically trying to dry himself off. He spun but only proceeded to fall off of the couch and crash onto the floor. Yet, it was too late. Sara burst into the door, and slammed it shut behind her. She turned to Farley, gasping as she saw him as a full merman. Sara backed up against the wall in shock, hyperventilating as she looked down at Farley on the floor. The two of them stared at each other, unmoving their gaze. "Sara… I can explain…" Farley began

"H-how… Why…" Sara whispered, unsure of what to think.

"This is what I've been meaning to tell you about Sara… I just never got the chance!"

"The fuck is this?" Sara interrogated. "Why are you a… a… merman?"

"Sara… It was the full moon. Something happened that night…"

"Well yeah something happened! Look at you! You have a tail like me! But, what happened? Why did you go to the Moon Pool? Was it to be closer to me? Were you jealous of what I could do? Why would you purposely choose this?"

Sara reached out with her hand and brushed the end of Farley's fin. Suddenly, a electric shock bolted through Sara's mind. A new synapse fired, and instantaneously she remembered everything from the full moon. It all became clear to her. She remembered all the memories that had disappeared from her, and she realized all she had done. _I did this…_ It was her fault… She had forced Farley to become a Merman… She had ruined his life. Tears began to stream down her face as the memories took hold. "No no no no no! It's all my fault! I ruined everything! I ruined your life!" Sara burst out of the office, running away.

"Sara wait!" Farley called. He had to focus and get dry now. He felt the shock too, and in that realization he was aware that Sara knew what she had done. He concentrated on Sara's powers, forcing the water away from his skin. He couldn't get it at first, but after several tries, while losing precious seconds, the water was released from his skin, and his legs returned. Farley burst upward from the couch and raced out of the office. He rushed out of the Cafe, only to come across Mia and Katy racing up to him.

"What the hell is going on Farley?" Mia questioned. "Why did we just see Sara racing that way crying hysterically? What's going on? What did you do?"

Farley snapped back. "I can explain. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah I doubt that. You broke her heart didn't you! I'll boil you alive for hurting her!" Mia exclaimed. "You will regret this!"

"Mia stop! I didn't do anything to her! Something bad has happened. We gotta talk about it. Now! We… Ok we need somewhere away from people. Let's go to Mitch's boat shed. We need to have an emergency Team Mako meeting." Farley planned, turning around. "Let's go! Get Blake there as well. This involves all of us!" He raced away, Mia and Katy angrily following close behind him.

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Sara didn't know where she was running to. All she knew was that she had to get away from everything. She ruined Farley's life. She ruined everything. The tears were streaming down her face in droves. She tore past Mia and Katy, who tried to stop her, but she only threw them off. They didn't need to be a part of this.

Running toward the canal, Sara made a choice, she dove off the bridge and into the water below. She was going to run away, swim into the unknown. Away from the pain she had caused. She was planning to leave everything behind. Her family, her friends, Farley, Denman, everything. When her tail appeared, Sara broke into a rocketing swim, heading out to sea.

Unknown to Sara, a familiar girl had seen her jump off of the bridge. She ran to the spot that Sara had leapt into the canal, golden blond hair billowing behind her as she sprinted. She looked down into the water below, confused on why Sara had just dove off. Then, in a twist of fate, the girl gasped as Sara's tail appeared, and she shot away through the water.

For a moment, the girl stared at the empty space in shock. Then, a twisted thought invaded her mind. A smirk appeared across her heavily makeup covered face. This would be her chance to get back at everything that had happened over the past few months. This would be her chance to get revenge on the group of friends that had taken away from her.

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Still angry at Farley, Mia and Katy went quickly with him to the boat shed. Soon, the three of them, alongside Blake and Mitch were all gathered together, confused and angry at Farley's nervous behavior and Sara's disappearance. Farley began pacing nervously back and forth, unsure of where to begin. "Ok Farley. We're here. Now, explain everything before we hurt you. Why was Sara crying and running away from you?" Mia threatened.

"Ok… Last full moon, a week ago, Sara got moonstruck. And she came over to my house…"

"And let me guess, you got her pregnant! What is wrong with you!?" Mia exploded.

"NO! Don't interrupt. Shit, Mia. Jesus. She told me to meet her at Mako Island. So I did. When I arrived, she was acting weirder than usual. Like, weirder than the usual moonstruck her, which I don't even know how that's possible. She said throughout the night that she had a gift to give me. Without warning, she forced me into the Moon Pool under the full moon… And…" Farley trailed off. He grabbed a glass of water off of the table and dumped it onto his foot.

Eyes grew wide as Farley's blue tail appeared, and he fell onto Mitch's couch. Chaos erupted as a billion different questions were fired at Farley from all directions. "What the fuck? Farley why are you a merman?" Mia shouted above the noise.

"Sara tricked me into the Moon Pool under the full moon when she was moonstruck," Farley explained. "Sara got mad at me because I was ghosting her. Turns out, I didn't know how to talk to her about this, especially since she caused it! Today, Sara splashed me with water, not thinking and I made it to the office at the Cafe just fine but Sara saw me. She touched my tail, which, somehow, caused some sort of reaction where the memory of that night returned to her. She remembered forcing me into the Moon Pool when the moon was overhead. She blames herself for ruining my life by turning me into a merman. That's why she ran away." Farley explained rapidly, trying to give the whole story.

Silence gripped the boat shed. "Is this why you've been so distant to everyone over the past week then?" Blake spoke up.

Farley nodded reluctantly. "What was I to say? There was nothing I could do! I just… I needed time to wrap my head around things for a time. I was just too scared about everything. You three all had each other to deal with this. I had no one."

"Well, there's no going back now," Mia snuffed. "You're stuck like this now Farley. Hope you'll learn to enjoy it."

"Yeah, I got it Mia. And, we can all discuss this later. Get angry at me all you want, but we need to figure out where Sara went, find her, and bring her back," Farley put in. "My guess is that she needed a place to go to and feel at peace, away from people." 

"Like the entire ocean?" Katy asked.

"Well that narrows it down," Mitch complained.

"That eliminates everything on land," Farley argued. "And, with two mermaids and a merman searching for her. We should be able to find her pretty quickly."

"We can use telepathy to try and contact her. If she's in her tail, she should be able to respond. That is if she's willing to try and talk to us. Which… I don't know. If she's that distraught, she may not want to talk to anyone," Katy suggested.

"Ah that's right you guys can contact between your minds! I wonder if I have that power as well," Farley pondered.

"Ha. Don't get your hopes up too much Farley," Mia sneered.

"Well, I do have all three of your powers, so I guess anything is possible," Farley countered.

"I find that hard to believe," Mia doubted.

Farley shook his head in annoyance. He focused on the glass of water on the table, pushing out his hand, the water snaked up out of the glass and into the air. "There's more," Farley teased. He clenched his other fist, and the water in the air started boiling. He then thrust out his hand, and the entire tentacle froze. Farley sat back in smug confidence as the other four looked on in shock. "Now do you believe me?"

"How is that possible?" Katy questioned in awe.

"I don't know," Farley shook his head. "We can talk about this later. But can we get back to the task at hand? Sara is missing out there somewhere in the ocean, and we're wasting time bickering about my tail and powers." By this time, Farley's skin had dried and his legs returned. He stood up, confidence flowing through him. "We need to take this time now and find her."

"Do you have a plan?" Mia asked.

"Not really. I'm mostly improvising here. So, with Mako Island being special to all of us, she might go there, at least at first. And it's the best place to begin our search." Farley theorized. He reached into his pocket and tossed his keys to Blake. "Blake. Mitch. You blokes head to Mako Island with my boat and check out the inland. See if she went ashore. The rest of us mer… people… will go straight to the Moon Pool. If she's not there, we'll search around the island, slowly extending our search outwardly in circles. Use your telepathy at all times and try to contact her. Ok? Let's go get Sara and bring her home."

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The five of them scrambled. Mitch and Blake ran toward Farley's house to pick up his boat. The rest of them dove into the canal. They rushed away, straight toward Mako Island. Farley had to find Sara. With everything that happened, it would crush him if she was hurt. He increased his speed, much to the surprise of Mia and Katy, who were pushed to their limits keeping up with him. They broke their own time records making it to the Moon Pool. Finding Sara was on the line. They couldn't afford to dawdle.

The three of them broke through the surface of the Moon Pool, heavily breathing in their stress, coupled with the arduously quick swim. "SARA!" Katy shouted into the cavern. No response came back. "She's not here."

Farley nodded. "Ok. We have to split up. Check around the island. Please. We have to do this for Sara," Farley pleaded.

Mia and Katy nodded. "Right." Mia affirmed. "Farley, can you use the telepathy?"

Farley stretched out with his mind. _Can you both hear me?_ He sent to Mia and Katy. Both of them still had a blank look on their faces. "Did you hear that?" he asked aloud.

"Couldn't hear a thing," Katy stated. "I guess we have a power you don't have then."

"Well that makes it somewhat more difficult then," Farley grumbled. "Ok fine at least you two can do it. Let's get out there!"

The three of them disappeared out of the Moon Pool, spreading out into the waters surrounding Mako. Farley raced out into the wide ocean, beginning to circle the island. Farley swam as fast as he could by still remaining diligent. The ocean around Mako was mostly unfamiliar to him compared to the three girls. So, he had to remain cautious. It would be easy for him to miss Sara in the open waters and crevices.

Mia and Katy were probably calling out to Sara using telepathy, even though Farley couldn't hear it. He instead increased his speed, circling the island again and again, trying to find Sara. For what felt like hours, he swam, increasingly tired and worried.

Some time later, he ran into Mia. He pointed upward and they both surfaced in the open ocean. Mako Island was a few kilometers north of their position. "Any luck?" Farley asked.

"No sign of her anywhere!" Mia complained. "And she hasn't responded at all to either me or Katy's telepathic messages. I don't think she wants to be found."

"We have to keep trying! How long has it been since we started?"

"A few hours at least with no sign of her. This isn't working We need to regroup. Let's get Katy, Mitch, and Blake and meet back in the Moon Pool," Mia suggested.

"Right. Good plan," Farley spoke solemnly. They both submerged and rocketed away toward the moon pool.

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"She's not anywhere on the island," Blake explained. All five of them were in the moon pool cavern, discussing their next plan. "We checked everywhere, even some places more than once. We checked every beach, all along the stream, even at the base of the volcano. No sign of her."

"Well, now what?" Farley questioned angrily.

"It's obvious Sara doesn't want to be found right now," Katy stated bluntly. "Think about it. She would've contacted us via telepathy if she wanted to talk. But she hasn't at all."

"But we can't just give up! We have to find her!" Farley exclaimed.

"Farley, we've been at this for hours!" Mia fired back. "And there's nothing! I'm pained that Sara has disappeared as well, but we have no idea where to even begin looking! We just have to wait until Sara wants to be found."

"No! I refuse! It's because of me that she fled! I'm going back out their!" And with that, Farley fled out of the Moon Pool. _I will find her! No matter what!_ He increased his speed and continued his circles around the island.

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Sara floated in the sea. She felt utterly defeated. She had ruined everything with Farley. She injured him with her wind powers on one of the previous full moons, she had constantly lied to him over the past month and a half about her dealings with Denman and Blake, and now, she had turned him into a merman, effectively ruining his life. _Why have I fucked everything up?_ Sara wished she could cry underwater. She kept hearing Mia and Katy sending her telepathic messages. She ignored each one of them. They wouldn't know how she felt. They would only hate her for ruining everything.

For hours she drifted among the seafloor, disconnected from reality. Here, under the water, was now the only place she felt peace anymore. She was going to stay there. She didn't know how long, but all she wanted to do was live out her life on the bottom of ocean.

 _Sara, listen to me._ A message from Katy popped into her head. _I don't know if you'll receive this or not. But I think you should know something. Despite everything, Farley cares about you. You didn't ruin his life. You never did. He cares so much about you being safe. He's ready to exhaust himself looking for you, but he keeps going. You are so important to him, more than you ever realize. Please come back to him, to us. Before Farley is willing to search the entire ocean for you._

Sara began to cry, as much as she could underwater. What did she do to deserve Farley? She did nothing over the past few months but hurt him, yet he cared for her more than she ever thought possible.

Sara looked outward and notice a large stream of bubbles coming toward her and slightly above. _It has to be Farley…_ She thought to herself. _I… I don't know what to do… No, I have to see him._

Sara swam upward to the same level. Sure enough, stopping directly in front of her was Farley. Sara gasped. Farley looked more stoic and serious than ever before. His blue tail shimmered brightly under the water, and his muscular torso bulged above it. His soft brown eyes locked onto hers. He couldn't contain himself, he shot forward and squeezed Sara in a loving hug, pulling her close. In that moment, for just a moment, a telepathic voice popped into Sara's head. Surprisingly, it came from Farley, for the first time ever. _I love you Sara._

 **Farley admitted to loving Sara! I really liked writing this chapter, and I hoped you loved it too! Make sure to leave a review with what you think!**


	30. Chapter 30: Together Again

**Chapter 30: Together again**

Farley and Sara sat next to each other on beach on the far side of Mako island, staring out over the ocean water, the sun starting it's evening descent behind them. Sara felt extremely nervous despite feeling an increasing hopefulness ever since Farley found her.

"How… are you adjusting… to...?" Sara asked when she regained her confidence.

"Being a Merman? It takes a little getting used to I'll admit. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed swimming sometimes," Farley interrupted.

"Give it some time. Once you get used to having a tail, it's absolutely amazing," Sara returned. "I feel awful about tricking you into the Moon Pool. Even if it was the moonstruck me, it still makes me terrible to think about what I did to you."

"That night, you kept talking about giving me a gift. Over and over again you mentioned that this what you were giving me was the greatest gift I would ever receive. Now I know why. I feel the joy you feel when I'm swimming," Farley explained.

"I'm so, so sorry Farley for doing this. I feel like I've ruined your life."

Farley reached over and pulled her close. "Don't you ever think that. You never ruined my life. Aye, having a tail will take some getting used to. But I can handle it. I'll be fine."

"How?" Sara pondered. "How can you be so confident about this? Why aren't you angry with me? I don't understand!"

"Like I told you, I love you. Don't ask me why I do after everything that's happened, but I really really do, and It can't help it. Seeing you run out of the cafe in tears hurt me, and that's when I realized how much I truly care about you," Farley explained.

Sara fell silent for a moment. It was real. Farley was being truthful. He really did love her after it all. "Are you sure?"

"Sure as shit. I debated it for a while over the past week. But I realized how true it was. I can't deny it anymore. I'm done with this break. I want to get back together with you."

Sara grew silent. She formulated a response slowly in her mind. "When I moved to Australia almost six months ago, I was scared to move so far away where I didn't know anyone. But now, despite the ups and downs, I wouldn't take anything back for the world. Meeting Mia and Katy, becoming a mermaid, dating you, and everything else. It hasn't been perfect, but I've loved it…" Sara spoke. She looked up at Farley with her gleaming blue eyes. "And… I think I love you too…"

Farley smiled, and leaned down and kissed Sara beautifully on the lips. It was tender and sweet, yet passionate as the two of them dove into their love for each other. Farley rolled over on top of Sara, continuing to kiss her passionately, and Sara returned the fervor, giving in to the warmth of their connection. They disconnected and stared into each other's eyes passionately. "I suppose we should go tell the others that I'm feeling ok," Sara admitted.

"That might be a good idea. They're really worried about you as well. Mia did threaten to kill me if I broke your heart," Farley added.

"That sounds like something she'd do," Sara chuckled.

"Luckily I convinced her not to. She's still skeptical about me being a merman though," Farley shrugged.

"She'll have to get used to it," Sara teased.

"I completely agree," Farley put in. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I want them to know I'm doing good now," Sara concluded. Farley nodded and stood up. He reached down and pulled Sara to her feet. They both smiled deeply at each other. Hand in hand, they raced for the sea, diving in. Sara admired Farley as his tail appeared, the blue matching the waters around them. The both of them raced around the island for the Moon Pool.

The two of them surfaced to see a still worried Mia and Katy in the pool, with Mitch and Blake standing on the dry ground behind them. "SARA!" Mia and Katy shouted simultaneously and hit her with a massive hug. Farley skirted left to get out of the way. He moved to the edge, pulling himself up onto the ground and sitting down, his tail dangling into the water. Mia and Katy released Sara after a moment. "Are you ok?" Katy asked.

Sara nodded. "I think so. I… I'm sorry for running away. I had a bad moment and needed to get away from it all," she admitted.

"I'm just glad Farley found you and you were able to work it out," Mia spoke, glancing at Farley again.

"Yeah you know, I have my way with words," Farley joked.

"New merman power of persuasion?" Blake bantered.

"Oh shut up. You only wish you could do what I can do," Farley fired back.

"I think Blake and I are doing just fine being the only true land people on our little team," Mitch added to the joke. The six of them laughed. It felt good to be all together again, even after everything that had been happening.

Sara turned to Farley. "So, you're gonna have to show us what you can do now," she stated. "What kind of powers do you have?"

"So, I kinda gave a quick demonstration to the rest of them earlier. But, I'll try to explain what I know so far about my powers. I have all three of your base powers. I don't have any of your weather powers though," Farley explained. "Although, my water kinesis power is much stronger than Sara's. Zane seems to think that since I was in the pool with Sara, that it must've doubled the strength of that power."

"Wait… You actually told Zane that you're a merman?" Mia questioned.

Farley shrugged. "Oh come on. He was the only one I could think about telling about it at first. I mean I didn't know if I could tell any of you about it at the time. I was really freaked out at first. But, it's ok though. We already know we can trust Zane."

"The only reason we trusted Zane is because we had to, not because we wanted to. But fair point," Mia added.

"Yeah, but even so, we know his girlfriend is a mermaid, and same with her friends. There's no way Zane would sacrifice their secret just to gain from me. He's just not like that," Farley explained.

"Eh…. Agree to disagree. But it doesn't matter now," Mia replied.

Sara looked downward, changing the subject. "So, I'm sure all of you know what I did to Farley by now," She admitted.

Katy put her hand on Katy's shoulder. "Sara, we don't care about that. We only care that you're ok. Farley is taking it in stride, and we're all here with you," she encouraged.

"Katy's right," Mia added. "We've had a rough time for the six months, but no matter what, we've all stuck together through thick and thin. All six of us on Team Mako."

Sara managed a smile as she looked over all of them. They were all coming together as one despite everything that happened. "Thank you all. I know… A lot has happened, but I promise you I will not let anything get in the way of all of you ever," Sara projected. "We are all in this together. All of us as one team."

Farley pulled Sara close. "I'm with you no matter what," he spoke, kissing her on the lips. Sara's nervous demeanor melted away again, building her confidence.

Mia just groaned. "Oh come on you two! Not in the Moon Pool!" She joked, rolling her eyes.

Sara released from Farley and moved her eyes to Mia. "Oh just stay there and be jealous of us," she teased, and went back to making out with Farley in order to jokingly spite Mia. Katy, Blake, and Mith burst out in hysterical laughter at the two of them, while Mia just sulked slightly. Within a minutre, Sara broke away from Farley again, staring into his eyes, ready to forget the world. She snapped out of it and spoke to the rest of the room. "Hey, do you think we can have just girl time right now?"

"I'm down for that. Boys are dumb anyway," Mia joked. Blake, Mitch, and Farley just rolled their eyes.

"I suppose we could do that," Blake mentioned. Mitch and Farley agreed. Not like they had a choice. The three boys said goodbye and left, with Blake and Mitch going back through the cavern, and Farley disappeared underwater, flying away toward the open ocean.

The three girls remained, relaxed in the pool, each of them stretching out and enjoying the space. "Remember when it was just the three of us?" Mia asked to the group.

"It was so much similar then," Sara admitted. "No boys, no drama. Just the three of us mermaids against the world."

"Six months ago we first got our tails. Despite the ups and downs, I'm glad to have done it with both of you," Katy spoke.

"I couldn't agree more," Mia replied.

"I'm sorry about everything that's happened recently. I feel like I've let you all down lately, and I want to let you know that I'm here for you both no matter what," Sara added.

Katy and Mia pulled Sara close. "Don't you ever worry about it," Katy spoke. "We will always be close to you."

"Katy's right," Mia returned. "We're with you wherever. No matter what. Team Mako against the world. Remember?"

Sara nodded. She was glad she had such good friends to surround her. Despite it all, everything was turning out for the better then.

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Sara jogged down to the marina. It was the day after finding out she found out that Farley was a merman. She finally steadied herself emotionally and got used to the fact that he had a tail himself. She was heading down to the docks to see Denman again. They had more tests that day, and she was ready for the it all.

Sara crossed up the gangplank and up onto the Redemption. She burst into the research room, only to surprise Denman who was sitting down doing some work at her desk. She set down her pen and looked up at Sara. "How are you doing today Sara?" She asked.

"I've had an interesting weekend. But, there's not much to complain about," Sara replied. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Denman scowled at the papers in front of her. "That's just the thing…We are nearing the end of all the tests I could think to test of you. We've done a lot of research together. And, there's not a lot of conclusion I can make about your mermaid condition."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked inquisitively. "I thought this was supposed to make us better understand what's going on with me."

"I know that. And I've given you as much as I can. Unfortunately, I cannot tell why you transform when you touch water, or why you became a mermaid in the first place. If I had better equipment and more funds I might be able to…"

"But that would involve other people knowing about my secret." Sara finished.

"Precisely my point. They would need to do research on you as well to review my data and conclusions that I've already come up with. So to publish this research, we need other people involved. There's one person at the Marine Park we might be able to trust…"

"No… I'm sorry. Linda I can't. My secret is too important to me. Even one more person finding out about my abilities could be the person to expose me to the entire world."

Denman nodded. "I understand. And, I made a promise that I am willing to uphold. This research won't go out until you're ready." Denman got up and crossed the room. She stood in front of Sara and shook her hand. "Fair warning though. Someday, this may be extremely useful. I don't know if you'll ever be publicly revealed to be a mermaid. But you must be prepared in case it happens."

"Thank you for the advice Linda. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. You've been great about this whole thing. You're almost to a point of being a friend. If only you hadn't caught me in a net that is," Sara teased.

"My biggest fault in dealing with you. But maybe you'll overcome that and we'll fully be friends," Denman added.

"Maybe someday." Sara had to admit. It felt good to talk to Dr. Denman. She understood her in a way. Things were looking up for Sara. Everything was falling into place.

 **Make sure to review, follow, and favorite as per usual! Only a few more chapters left of part 1.**


	31. Chapter 31: Operation Endgame

**Chapter 31: Operation Endgame**

Sara, Mia, and Katy burst from the doors of the school in excitement. Spirits were at the highest point they had been in weeks. Because, now it was the final day of school. After that would be three months of summer, sun, and swimming. "It's weird having the summer feeling in December," Sara mentioned. "Back home it's just cold, snowy, and depressing."

"Even more of a reason you should be glad you're here," Katy quipped. "Nebraska's got nothing on Gold Coast."

"I suppose you're right. Also back in Gibbon I wasn't a mermaid too, so I guess Australia kinda is winning by a huge margin right now," Sara added.

"Ah ha you admit it! It's better here!" Mia exclaimed.

"Fine! I admit it! I like it more here in Gold Coast than I did in Gibbon! Happy now?" Sara relented.

"Good enough for me," Mia grinned. They continued walking for a bit, before they were intercepted by Farley, Blake, and Mitch. The boys quickly filed in next to their girlfriends, each giving a kiss as they did. It was good to feel as though things were getting back to normal.

"Are you all going to the end of year party at Rikki's Cafe tonight?" Farley asked to the group.

"Of course we're going!" Mia exclaimed. "It'll be a fun time to celebrate the beginning of summer!"

"Even though your cousin is throwing it?" Katy teased.

"Oh whatever. I don't need to worry about Zane," Mia added.

"I can't wait to see what this summer's gonna be like for us here in Australia," Sara put in. "Probably swimming every day will be my guess."

"I don't know how I'll fit into your swimming club," Farley quipped, "Especially being the only merman among mermaids."

Sara turned and kissed Farley. "That's why we are going to have our own moments in the water away from Mia and Katy," She spoke. Mia and Katy just groaned at it. "Oh, quiet you two. You're just jealous that I get to share swimming with Farley."

"While we're at it, don't forget about Mitch and I," Blake interrupted. "Just because we don't grow tails doesn't mean we don't want to be a part of the fun."

"We're not just going to be swimming!" Katy exclaimed. "Barbecues, the beach, staying up late. It'll be awesome!"

"We'll have to take your word for it," Mitch teased his girlfriend.

The six of them broke apart, each heading back to their respective houses to prepare for the party. It wouldn't be till later in the evening, close to sundown, so they had some time to kill. Sara spent the time chilling in her room. She was mulling over a decision in her mind. She was deciding if it was a good idea to tell Mia and Katy about Dr. Denman and vice versa. She trusted each of them, but she was worried what both parties would think about Sara keeping secrets from them about the other. She knew it would hurt Mia and Katy at first, but she felt it would be necessary for everyone to know about it. And a lot over the last few months might finally be explained to them.

In the end she decided it was going to be necessary to tell them. She would slowly ease Mia and Katy into it. Let them decide if they wanted to meet with Denman, and if not, they wouldn't need to, as Denman only knew about Sara. It still kept them in plausible deniability. That was a good plan at least for the beginning.

Soon, the time was right to go to the party. Sara dressed herself in her favorite flowery sundress. It was the one she had worn for her first date with Farley, as well as her birthday that ended badly. _This has been with me through the good and bad. No matter what, I'm still here. And, that's all that matters._ As well, she strapped on her blue crystal necklace, admiring how the light cast a blue glow across her neckline.

Sara said goodbye to her parents and headed out into the evening glow in high spirits. _This is it._ She headed quickly to Rikki's Cafe. It was still early, so maybe only around fifteen people were mingling about in the Cafe. Sara was disappointed at first when she saw that none of her friends had arrived yet. She walked around, admiring the way Zane had decorated everything. He went all out, and his passion for the Cafe definitely showed. It helped that the school was bankrolling him for it. Sara milled about waiting for the rest of Team Mako to arrive to Rikki's.

"Hey," sounded a voice behind her. Sara turned quickly, only to curiously see Marian behind her, looking quite innocent. Sara knew it wouldn't be the case of course, so she put her guard up.

"Oh… Hey Marian," Sara responded indifferently, "What can I do for you?"

Marian sighed, "I just wanted to apologize to how I treated you the first couple months you were here. Starting the whole redneck girl thing was a bit mean-spirited on my part. And, I want to say I'm sorry."

Sara groaned involuntarily as those memories came back to her. _At least she's trying to apologize?_ "I mean... don't worry about it. It's all good," Sara replied. "Besides, that was months ago anyway."

"Thank you Sara. I've been thinking a lot about things. After I broke up with Mitch, things went bad for me. But now I've found Aaron, and it has turned out ok." Marian nodded to the guy behind her who smiled back.

"I'm happy for you," Sara added. _I really don't care._ "Glad you finally got your mind and life right."

Marian put her hand out to Sara. "I was hoping that if we couldn't be friends, I would hope we could at least make a truce and clean the slate." She spoke.

Sara hesitated for a minute, unsure of Marian's sincerity. "I suppose I could be willing to make up," Sara relented, placing her hand out to Marian.

Marian lashed out with her hand, missing Sara's palm completely and instead latching on to her wrist, wrapping her fingers tightly around it, holding it in place. Before Sara could react, Marian reached to a glass of water on the table with her free hand, and threw the liquid at Sara, soaking her all over. _FUCK!_ Sara screamed into her head. Marian saw Sara's panicked face and smirked. "Gotcha now you mermaid bitch," Marian stated haughtily. Sara stood in shock, her muscles refusing to work. "Hey everyone! Look here! We've got some action going on!" Marian shouted, garnering the attention of everyone in the Cafe, and they curiously viewed the events unfolding, wanting to see a fight.

Sara looked ahead in fright, and she saw Aaron with a camera filming her, ready to document her transformation in front of everyone. _GOTTA GET AWAY NOW!_ Sara turned her other hand into a fist and slammed it against Marian's wrist, breaking her grasp on Sara's arm. In a panic, Sara ran straight for the office door, throwing it open.

But she was too late…

As soon as the door opened, her tail appeared, and she flopped forward, her bottom half exposed, still in the Cafe's main room. She quickly spun to her back. Twenty pairs of eyes gawked at her in unmoving shock. Only Marian's face was different, posed in a smug expression. In an instant, phones were being whipped out quickly to take a picture of Sara as a mermaid.

Sara acted quickly, shoving her body back fully into the office. She used her muscular tail to slam the door shut as people began to rush toward her. Using the last of her strength, she reached up and locked the door as it began to shudder under the force of the people outside. She collapsed to the floor in pain, agony, and complete terror.

Zane was in the back of his office and came running forward at the sound of commotion. He got there in time to see Sara on the floor in her tail and loud noises at the door. "What the hell is going on?" He questioned. "What happened?"

"It's all going to shit Zane! They... saw me. They saw me in my tail," Sara wept, tears beginning to stream. "I'm revealed. They even got it on camera. I'm ruined!"

Zane grabbed his face in shock. This was an unprecedented catastrophe for everyone. For a moment he didn't speak. "How…? Nevermind that now. We need to act quickly" Zane began. In a moment, he spun around to his desk, searching in his desk until he pulled out a black folder, showing it to Sara. Ok.. Sara… I have an idea. This is 'Operation Endgame'. It's a plan I made in case any mermaid gets publicly revealed. Never thought I would need to use this before But, life doesn't give you a chance sometime. We need to act. News will spread quickly. Get dried off. Now!."

Sara didn't question it. She used her powers and got back into her legs. "What do we do Zane?" She asked, tears bearly fended off as she jumped to her feet.

Zane approached her. "I want you to run out the back door. Twenty five meters behind this Cafe is a canal. You sprint there, get into the water, and swim to Mako Island. Don't look back. Go to the big beach on the far side of the Island. I'm going to inform your friends and rally the troops. They need to know about this as well. Shit has just hit the fan. We will meet you there as soon as we can. Now go!"

Sara didn't waste any time. She went to the back door and burst out into the setting sun. Nobody was back there yet, so she sprinted straight ahead, immediately diving into the canal. Her tail appearing, she kicked hard, and propelled extremely quickly toward Mako.

The worst case scenario had come true.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Farley was en route to the Cafe for the party when he got the text from Zane. He almost threw up when he read the contents. Sara was revealed as a mermaid. He couldn't believe it at first. But there was no way Zane would joke about something like this, especially since his girlfriend was a mermaid as well.

Team Mako's group chat blew up. Farley could barely follow it as the messages came pouring in. Pain and anger were sent by Mia and Katy. He made a suggestion. "Everyone. Meet at Sara's house. Her parents need to be told about this before journalists start questioning them. And then, once we're all together, we'll head to Mako Island to get to Sara. Hurry! News crews will be crawling all over here soon!" The rest of them agreed, and Farley turned tail and sprinted back down the street.

He stopped to catch his breath at Sara's house just as Mia and Katy ran up behind him. "This is a catastrophe!" Mia exclaimed.

"We have to pull together," Farley warned. "Sara is depending on us."

"Do we really want to get her parents involved in this?" Katy asked.

"I don't think we have a choice. And besides, they need to know about what happened," Farley explained. "Sara is revealed now so they're gonna find out either way. It's best if Sara gets the chance to explain it to them herself."

"I wish we just knew the right way to do this," Mia bemoaned.

"None of us know what we're doing though, and which way is right and wrong. We're all improvising at this point," Farley countered. They rang the doorbell just as Blake and Mitch ran up as well. It wasn't long before Karen opened the door, cheerful as ever.

"Oh… Can I help you all? Sara already left for the event..." She asked, confused about the collection of five people on her porch. Farley didn't give a response, he just pushed his way in with Mia and Katy, Blake, and Mitch trailing behind. "Umm…. Can anyone explain why you're barging into our house?"

Paul stepped in from the kitchen to the living room. "What's going on? Why are you all here? Did Sara invite you? She's already left for your end-of-school party.."

"No Mr. Meyer… But it's about Sara," Mia spoke. "Something has happened."

Paul gasped. "Is she alright? Is she safe?"

"She's safe… But… She..." Mia looked to the others for support. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Turn on the news. There's gotta be something about it on there by now," Farley suggested. Katy grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She quickly flipped to the news channel right in the middle of a broadcast.

"...Getting reports of, get this, a mermaid sighting here in Gold Coast," A plucky reporter stated, the neon lights of Rikki's Cafe clearly shown behind her. _God damn they're fast._ Farley thought to himself. "Channel five news has this exclusive video." All seven people in the Meyer's living room looked on in horror as a video flashed across the screen of Sara being held back in human form by none other than Marian, before breaking free but falling to the ground as a full mermaid right there on live TV. "We've identified this 'mermaid' as one Sara Meyer, a seventeen year old student from the nearby high school and a recent immigrant from the United States."

Farley shut off the tellie, unbearably concerned at what he saw. He turned back to see the horrified looks on Paul and Karen's pale faces. Silence deafened the room. Nobody knew what to say. It was all too real. The secret was out. "What… is she?" Karen asked meekly, steadying herself on the counter.

"She's your daughter, no matter what," Mia encouraged Sara's parents. "And right now she needs us by her side."

"But how did this happen to her?" Paul questioned. "This is real right? This is not just some stupid prank gone wrong."

"It's definitely real. She is like that. We're going to take you to her," Farley stated. "You can ask her yourself about this. Sara will be glad to explain everything she can, especially after what's just happened."

"You knew? All of you?" Paul questioned.

Farley looked at Mia and Katy, and then to Blake and Mitch. They all sighed. "Yeah. We knew about her. We knew her secret," Katy spoke. "We need you both to know right now that you need to trust us. A lot of things are going to happen that aren't explainable. But, we need your trust. Journalists and reporters will be here very soon trying to get your exclusive interviews. And we need to make sure we're out of here before then."

Before a response could be made, the doorbell rang again. "Shit! Are they already here?" Mitch questioned.

"No," Blake shook his head and sighed. "I know who it is." He flung open the door to reveal Dr. Denman, Elliot, and Laura, quickly entering into the house.

"Blake? Who the hell are these people? Why are you letting them in?" Mia questioned.

"Friends of Sara. And mine. Don't worry, they're trustworthy," Blake stated.

Denman stepped up. "I am Dr. Linda Denman, and these are my associates Elliot Gilbert and Laura Collins. I'm assuming you're Sara's parents," She stated calmly.

"What the hell do you know about our daughter?" Paul questioned threateningly.

"Blake! Why did you bring these people?" Mia interrogated.

"I don't have time to tell the full story now. Basically Sara was doing research with Denman about her mermaid abilities, and I was there to provide support and consultation. Wanna know why Sara and I were acting so secretive over the past month or so? This is why," Blake explained quickly. Denman, Elliot, and Laura all nodded in agreeance.

"And you kept this from us?" Farley added. "She was doing research on her abilities and you couldn't tell us?"

"Mate that's what Sara wanted! She didn't want Dr. Denman to find out that Sara wasn't the only…" Blake slammed his mouth shut.

"Wait… More of you are mermaids?" Laura questioned.

"Now's not the time or place to discuss this!" Mia reminded. "Although, Blake, you're gonna need to explain everything that's going on."

"Right. We all need to go to Mako Island right now. Sara is there waiting for us," Farley spoke. "Mr. and Mrs. Meyer, I know you're dealing with a lot now, but we need you to get into your boat and head there. Mitch go with them."

Blake spun. "We can then take your boat, Farley, to Dr. Denman's research boat. And then we'll head from there."

"Wait, what about the rest of you?" Paul asked

Farley sighed. "Well, that girl is right. More of us have tails. Mia, Katy, and I are all like Sara." He admitted.

Paul and Karen's eyes grew wide. "You too? All three of you?"

The others gasped in unison. "Yeah yeah. We don't have time to explain everything now! We've already wasted enough time as it is!" Mia exclaimed. "Get to your fucking boats! We'll explain everything once we're safely on Mako Island."

Mitch coerced the shocked parents toward the Hayseed, while Blake shuffled out Denman, Elliot and Laura toward Farley's boat. When they were safely across the street, Farley poked his head out only to see a white van rapidly approaching, with a satellite dish on top. "Shit! News crews are here. We need to go now!" Farley, Mia, and Katy rushed out the back door, filing in behind as the Hayseed departed the dock.

The three mers dove deep into the water, racing away toward the ocean. Everything that they knew had changed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara paced up and down the far beach on Mako Island, tears streaming from her eyes from the anger, anxiety, and sadness. Everything had gone to shit. She was ruined. Her life was over. The setting sun shown orange hues across the water. Pain welled up in her. "I've destroyed everything!" She yelled across the ocean, but there was nothing and no one to answer her call.

She was full of anguish. She was gonna be dissected, all her friends would hate her, and she'd never have peace again. The anger welled up in her, reaching a breaking point. She looked across the water toward the horizon and screamed in rage! She thrust out her hand.

Above her, clouds began to swirl and combine together. It formed a giant mass in the sky over the water. "AAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed in rage again, and focused her powers across the water. A massive circling twister descended from the group of clouds, gathering strength and speed as it slowly lowered to the ground.

Sara poured her anger into the forming tornado, adding energy and ferocity, increasing its strength. With a final display of power, she slammed the twister into the waters. It spun rapidly, sucking up the liquid around it, growing to a massive wall of wind, moving across the ocean's surface.

With another scream, Sara released the power, and the massive tornado dissipated, scattering the winds and waters outwardly. The power receding, Sara collapsed onto the sand, breathing heavily in and out. _Did I really just create a tornado?_ She questioned to herself. _My powers are more dangerous than I thought…_

 _Sara! We're incoming!_ Mia's voice echoed in her head. Sara stood up immediately, scanning the waters, looking for Mia and her other friends. Not a minute later, Farley, Mia, and Katy washed up on the shore. They locked eyes with Sara farther up the beach.

"SARA!" They all shouted simultaneously. Farley used his aquakinesis powers to rid the waters off of the three of them in an instant, and now dry they raced up the beach toward Sara, who upon seeing them, sprinted from the tree line down towards the water..

Farley reached her first, and pulled her close into a hug. Mia and Katy joined in a second later, and the three of them pulled Sara close. Sara burst into tears upon reaching her released her, relaxing for a moment that, knowing that Sara was safe. "Are you alright?" Mia asked.

Sara nodded. "I'm alive… So I suppose that means I'm ok… Maybe. At least for now," She whispered softly. The normal cheery and sarcastic Sara now seemed meek and scared.

"Sara… The others are coming soon… We're going to figure everything out. Ok?" Katy spoke. Sara nodded.

Farley sighed. "You should know as well that your parents know about you being a mermaid now. They're on the way here as well. Be prepared. You might have to explain everything to them. They deserve to know."

Sara sat down on the beach in a heap. "This is terrible… It's the worst thing to happen…" she cried.

"What happened?" Mia asked.

"It was Marian. Somehow she found out that I was a mermaid…. And she splashed me on purpose, trying to expose me. And, seems like it worked to perfection," Sara explained.

"How did she find out about you?" Farley questioned.

"I don't know! I don't… I… Does it really matter now?" Sara fired back. "All that matters is that it happened. And now, my life is screwed."

"You're still here. We're still here. We will back you up no matter what," Katy stated.

Sara nodded, but she had little faith in anything at that moment. She looked out over the waters of the twilight to see a larger boat off in the distance. Sara immediately recognized it as the Redemption. "They're here," Sara stated, pointing to the research boat. Two smaller boats soon detached from the Redemption, heading straight for their beach.

"Are you ready to face your parents?" Mia asked.

"Right now I don't think I have a choice," Sara responded.

The four figures stood on the beach, watching the approaching boats coming toward the island. The sun began fully dipping below the horizon line, as daylight began to diminish. The Hayseed beached first, Sara's father at the helm. Sara looked on as both her parents and Mitch departed the vessel, pulling it up onto the dry sand. Sara remained motionless as her parents scrambled up the beach toward her. They stopped five yards from Sara, making eye contact with her. For a moment, nobody moved or breathed, unsure of what to do. Then, Sara broke, and ran to her parents, who stepped up to meet her.

They collided in the middle, Sara pulling her parents close, tears beginning to stream from all their eyes. Farley, Mia, and Katy looked on as Mitch approached as well. "I'm so sorry about all of this," Sara spewed. "I wanted to tell you about everything. I just… I didn't know what to say."

The three of them relaxed. "Sara… This is a lot to take in." Karen spoke. "But you are still our daughter, no matter who or what you are."

"Thank you. Both of you," Sara affirmed.

"How did you… become… a… mermaid?" Paul asked, feeling awkward at using the word mermaid. "All of you…." he gestured also to Mia, Katy, and Farley.

"It's a long story… But, it was within the first week of coming to Australia. One thing led to another, and sure enough, we were transformed into mermaids," Sara explained quickly.

Paul was about to question more, but Blake, Dr. Denman, Elliot, and Laura approached on foot from their boat. "Looks like the gang's all here," Denman quipped.

"Not yet," Sara spoke. "We're still waiting on Zane. He's got the plan. His 'Operation Endgame' or something like that."

"Zane Bennett?" Dr. Denman asked. Sara nodded suspiciously. Denman went pale, and her mouth hung open for a moment before slamming it shut. She cleared her throat. "I suppose I couldn't escape my own demons coming back here," She spoke.

"Demons?" Sara asked.

"When Zane gets here, do not be surprised if when he sees me he becomes immediately hostile," Denman responded.

"What did you do to my cousin?" Mia questioned strongly.

"Let's just say if Zane gets here and immediately starts to attack me, you shouldn't be surprised," Denman spoke cryptically.

"Come on Doctor Doom, just tell us what's wrong with Zane," Mitch moaned.

"Tell us why he hates you. He's a part of this thing like you so unless you want to leave, I suggest you inform us lovely people what is going on between you and Zane," Sara added, trying to control her temperament.

Denman sighed. "So... I had told you this Sara and Blake, but for the rest of you, I met other mermaids before I met Sara. And I tried to capture them."

"Why the hell are you trusting this monster Sara? She tried to capture mermaids before and you're actually working with her?" Mia fumed, immediately turning furious.

"Just let her finish the story! Damn it, she's trying to explain everything!" Sara exclaimed. She turned to Denman. "Right, you told me, but what does that have to do with Zane?"

"Well, the mermaids I wanted to capture eventually got away and gave up their tails forever to escape me and my gred," Denman summed up. "And… One of those mermaids just so happened to be Zane's girlfriend Rikki, and he was the one that helped them escape. She had to give up her tail because of me. Considering I haven't talked to Zane since then all those years ago, I'm assuming he still vehemently hates me after all this time because of what I did."

Sara, Mia, and Katy exchanged nervous and confused glances. "Ummm…. So, you're sure it was Zane's girlfriend Rikki?" Sara asked.

"Without a doubt. I still remember her face clear as day. Like I said Sara, this was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I won't soon forget it, as well as my promise to treat all mermaids with respect and dignity," Denman explained.

"And she gave up her tail to get away from you?" Mia questioned, obviously aware of the truth.

"Yes… Why?" Denman asked, concerned and confused.

"Zane is going to have to explain. It's not our place to talk about it," Sara quickly evaded, hoping Denman wouldn't push it. Sure enough, Denman shrugged and they all continued waiting.

While they were waiting for Zane, Sara discussed everything with their parents. They tried to make them understand how the mers dealt with living life as what they were, stressing that they were still the same people. Paul and Karen listened intently, while asking sparse questions every once in a while. Sara finally began to feel better. It felt good to get everything off of her chest after so long.

"So… You didn't want to use our boat because it was likely you could get splashed, not because you were scared of the ocean?" Paul asked when Sara had finished.

"Basically yeah," Sara answered sheepishly. "I would've been more outgoing about this before with you if I knew you'd react positively like this. But, I didn't know at all what you'd think."

"Sweetie, you can trust us," her mother replied. "Again we're here for you no matter who or what you are."

Sara hugged her two parents. "Thank you guys. That really means a lot."

In the meantime, Blake, Elliot, and Mitch began working on getting a fire prepared as night was beginning to seep in and they wanted some light to see, considering they didn't know how long they would be on the beach. Blake stepped up to Elliot as they were gathering wood. "Just wanted to say thank you for both you and Doc understanding everything that's going on," Blake stated to Elliot. "But still, everything here needs to be tight-lipped. Plus, Sara and I are still the only two that trust you, Laura, and Denman."

Elliot nodded. "Mate, you don't need to worry about us. Even though we just found out that there are more mermaids than just Sara, we can keep it a secret. Don't you worry."

Mitch spoke up. "Those mermaids and merman are our girlfriends and our best friend Farley. Don't ruin it for them."

"Aye. I won't. We won't," Elliot affirmed. Satisfied for the moment, the three guys continued working, gathering a stack of wood and kindling. Then, with fire starting equipment from the boat, they had a lovely flame casting flickering light across the beach. The ten people sat down in the sand, waiting for Zane to appear.

Ten minutes later, the unmistakable whine of a motorboat echoed across the beach. They all stood up in anticipation for hopefully the arrival of Zane with news about Sara's situation. Sure enough, in the dim light, a red zodiac pulled up to the beach, parking next to the Hayseed and Zane jumped out. He carried the same folder in his hand that he had shown to Sara earlier. Zane jogged up the beach to the gathering next to the fire.

Zane stopped some feet away from the group, his eyes growing wide before switching to a look of anger and rage. "What the fuck is she doing here?" he interrogated, pointing a threatening finger at Dr. Denman.

Denman only sighed. "As you can see my hypothesis is confirmed," she stated somewhat facetiously.

Zane stepped forward angrily toward Denman. Blake and Farley stood in front of him to prevent Zane from getting physical. "You've got some nerve sticking your nose in mermaid business again, Denman," Zane threatened.

"Zane… We heard about your history with Dr. Denman. But you gotta let it go, she's on our side now," Blake stated.

"Don't you ever assume to know what I went through with my friends and my girlfriend because of her," Zane berated Blake.

"Please Zane… I promised I've changed… I'm not that same person I was all those years ago," Denman tried to explain.

"I don't believe you. At all. And you dragged poor Elliot into this? I bet he doesn't even know about what you did to his sister," Zane added.

"My sister? What's she got to do with it? She was the one who set me up with Denman for an internship!" Elliot exclaimed. "I don't see why…" Elliot stopped, as a look of confusion came across his face. He turned to Denman. "Wait… what did you do to my sister?"

"Elliot… It's complicated…" Denman began.

"Ha! You haven't even told him what happened?! Oh that's rich! You're full of shit Denman!" Zane chided.

"What do you expect me to say?" Denman fired back. "His sister forgave me! That's why she set Elliot up with this internship! Why else would Emma trust me enough to allow it?"

"After what you did I highly doubt it."

"ENOUGH!" Sara screamed. Everyone looked to her in shock. "I've had a busy day if you haven't heard, and I don't want to hear this petty bickering! Alright, everybody, cards on the table. No hiding. Denman, what did you do to Elliot's sister?"

Denman sighed. "I suppose it would come out eventually. Elliot's sister, Emma is, or was... One of the original mermaids I tried to capture years ago. Along with Zane's girlfriend."

Elliot looked at Denman with even more confusion now. "What? That's impossible!"

Denman turned back toward Elliot. "I can assure you that it's the truth. And I'm sure Zane will confirm it as well."

Elliot looked down at the sand, trying to wrap his mind around, resting his hands on his knees, trying to balance himself. "She… she told me one time that we couldn't go on a family holiday that we took every year before cuz it was around water… That… no… She couldn't go into the water because of being a mermaid…." he mumbled, unable to think coherently.

"Are you going to be alright?" Laura asked, putting her arm around his shoulder to make sure he didn't faint.

"I think I'll be ok… Just need a minute," Elliot replied. "But wait… That means that Emma gave up being a mermaid? Because of you?"

"Oh don't be too shocked Elliot," Zane interrupted. "There's more. Turns out they got the last laugh on Dr. Doom. They all are alive and doing well. And, oh yeah, by the way, they're all still mermaids."

This time it was Denman who needed support. She sat down quickly onto the sand. Then, a slight smile formed. "Well, one thing is for sure. Some of that guilt can be lifted, knowing I didn't fully ruin their lives," Denman stated, before rising again.

"I'll ask again though," Zane put up, "Why are you here? You don't belong in any of this."

Sara stepped forward. "She's here to support me. All these people are here to support what I'm going through. Hate her, forgive her, or never speak to her. I don't really care. I just need you both to be on my side," She explained.

Zane nodded. "You will have to give me the story of why you met, and how after what she told you that you still trust her. Either way, I will never be friends with her. I will never like her. But, if you somehow trust her enough to help you through this difficult time, then that's close enough for me to tolerate without violence," he stated flatly.

"What news do you have about my daughter?" Paul asked, trying to focus the group to the situation at hand.

"So, the cafe was in chaos after Sara was exposed… News, police, even firefighters and paramedics showed up. It was pandemonium," Zane began. "It would've been awful if you stayed. I managed to suppress the crowd somewhat. But it doesn't look like this thing is going away anytime soon."

Sara massaged her temples trying to alleviate some of the stress. "Ok… So, what's our next plan of attack?" she asked to Zane.

"Funny you should ask," Zane opened his folder for Operation Endgame. "Now, first rule I have for you, well all of you in fact, is never show or tell the public about your powers over water. You only grow a tail. That's it. Can't give the public a reason to fear you, and having something along the lines of super powers will definitely give them fear."

"No powers. Got it," Sara added.

"You have powers?" Karen questioned.

"I can move water with my mind. It's not important. Go on Zane."

"Right so, people cannot have a reason to fear you. We try to make you seem as normal as possible. People could use their fear to justify hate, and then justify violence," Zane continued.

"What are you talking about?" Sara questioned.

"Sometimes, people have used differences to justify horrible acts against other groups of people. Ones that didn't have any special powers at all. From Rwanda and Cambodia to Yugoslavia and Guatemala. Heck even in Australia and America. We have to get people to love you," Zane spoke.

Sara felt slightly weak, holding on to Farley for support. How could they justify such hatred against her? It couldn't be possible...

"So, our next step, which I already did, is set up a press conference," Zane continued. 

"I'm assuming to make me seem normal?" Sara asked.

"Precisely. So you can tell people that you're just a normal girl who grows a tail. To show them that you're a real human with thoughts, feelings, emotions, and passions. It'll help them understand you better. It will, most importantly, humanize you. I know that you're a real person and not an animal. All the people in this group here know that. But for everyone else we need to prove it," Zane explained. Sara nodded slowly. "In addition, all of you are gonna have to be ready to answer a lot of questions about your relationship to Sara. I hope you're all ready for this."

The others nodded confidently.

"Well, this is where it has to begin." Denman stated.

"What about you Sara? Are you ready to do this?" Zane asked. Sara turned to stare across the crowd gathered on the beach. There were twelve of them there, from her friends, to her parents, to Denman's group. They were all going to be there for her no matter what. For that moment, she didn't feel as scared anymore. It was the first time since her reveal that she felt, at least somewhat, hopeful.

"I'm ready," Sara proclaimed

 **I originally was going to end the story here and create a sequel. But, that didn't work out very well. So, this story will continue!**.


	32. Chapter 32: Three Figures

**Chapter 32: Three Figures**

Three figures sat on the beach looking out into the setting sun over the ocean. The Californian air was warm against them. The leader stepped to her feet, the sun reflecting off her dark skin. Everything they knew about themselves was about the change forever. "We aren't actually alone in this world as we thought. At least that gives us some hope," the leader spoke.

"But haven't you seen all the media hellstorm that's going on right now. Are we sure that's what we want for our lives?" one of the others asked, standing to join the leader. Her latin accent made her question sound more passionate.

"I don't know. I really don't. I do know that she probably has a lot more experience with this than us," the leader responded. "And we need that right now."

"Experience? The entire world knows who she is because of her carelessness!" The last one exclaimed. She stood up, joining the others. She was at least a head taller than the two, standing over six foot tall. "I don't know if that counts as good experience."

"Yes, but people might accept her, or even come to love her. That's why we need to get her on our side, and us on hers," the leader rebutted. "I know we're scared now. People are gonna be searching all over for others like her, which means that could lead them to us. How long till we get found out? Days? Weeks? Months? I don't know. What I do know as our kind has to stick together. All of us, including Sara Meyer. Who's with me?"

"I suppose I'm in to your mierda scheme," the latin one responded. "Although saying 'our kind' makes us seem not human."

"I'm in too I guess," the taller one rolled her eyes though. "Mostly because I trust you two more than anything. I still think the plan is stupid too."

"Ok. We're all in this together. As mermaids," the leader spoke.

"Agreed." the others responded. Together, they watched the sun finish it's descent to the horizon, plunging the beach into darkness. One by one, the three of them solemnly returned back up toward the twinkling lights of their town ahead of them. So much of the future was uncertain. But, this was what they needed. They needed to find Sara Meyer.

 **END OF PART 1**

 **Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!**


	33. Intermission

**Intermission**

This is the intermission from Part 1 of my story to Part 2. This is going to basically be a recap of all the characters and events that happened in part 1 to make sure people are on the same page before we move on to Part 2.

 **CHARACTER CHART**

Sara Meyer: Seventeen year old mermaid, changed in the Moon Pool on Mako with Mia and Katy. From Gibbon, Nebraska, USA. Daughter to Paul and Karen Meyer. Dating Farley Davis. Confident and Tenacious, yet can sometimes be sarcastic and snarky. Powers include hydrokinesis, telepathy between mermaids, and aerokinesis. Revealed to be a mermaid to the public at the end of Part 1.

Farley Davis: Seventeen year old Merman, changed in the Moon Pool by a moonstruck Sara. From Brisbane, Australia. Dating Sara Meyer. Passionate and full of determination. Powers include a stronger hyrdokinesis, a weaker hydro-thermo kinesis and cryokinesis, and telepathy.

Mia Hobbs: Sixteen year old mermaid, changed in the Moon Pool on Mako with Sara and Katy. From Gold Coast, Australia. Dating Blake Everton. Sarcastic and charismatic, yet fiercely loyal. Powers include hydro-thermo kinesis, telepathy, and electrokinesis.

Katy Arlington: Sixteen year old mermaid, changed in the Moon Pool on Mako with Sara and Mia. From Gold Coast, Australia. Best friends with Mia since sixth grade. Dating Mitch Stevens. Incredibly loyal and cheerful, constantly happy-go-lucky. Powers include cryokinesis, telepathy, and controlling clouds and precipitation.

Blake Everton: Sixteen year old human male. Best friends with Mia Hobbs in elementary school and begins to date her after she saved him from drowning. From Gold Coast, Australia. Workout partner and best friend of Farley. Charismatic and perfectionist yet can be a bit altruistic.

Mitch Stevens: Seventeen year old human male. Used to be an outcast and loner after running away from home. Convinced by Katy to break out of his lonely shell. Dating Katy Arlington. From Gold Coast, Australia. Pessimistic, yet hard-working and caring.

Zane Bennett: Twenty-one year old human male. Owner and manager of Rikki's Cafe. Dating Rikki Chadwick. Has known about mermaids for several years. Mentor to the new mers. Creator of Operation Endgame. From Gold Coast, Australia.

Dr. Linda Denman: Thirty one year old marine biologist. Threatened mermaids years before but lost everything. Rebuilding her career with ethics and care for mermaids. Currently doing research with Sara while working at the Marine Park. From Australia.

Elliot Gilbert: Eighteen year old human male. Sister to Emma Gilbert. Intern and assistant to Dr. Denman, who he met while living in Tampa, FL, introduced by his sister. A bit naive, but he still cares for his work and wants to impress his older sister. From Gold Coast, Australia.

Laura Collins: Twenty one year old human female. Intern and assistant to Dr. Denman who she met at the University of Miami. Formulaic and by-the-book. Pseudo-mentor to Elliot, although annoyed by his naivety at times. From Miami, Florida, USA.

Paul Meyer: Forty six year old human male. Father to Sara Meyer. Former football player in college, and is quite tall and intimidating. An ardent family man, he cares deeply for his wife and daughter. Finds out Sara is a mermaid at the end of Part 1. From Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Karen Meyer: Forty three year old human female. Mother to Sara Meyer. Cares deeply for her daughter, even though at times she can be over-protective. This causes stress between her and Sara. Finds out Sara is a mermaid at the end of Part 1. From Gibbon, Nebraska, USA.

 **SUMMARY OF PART 1**

Sara Meyer moves to the Gold Coast with her parents Paul and Karen from her hometown of Gibbon, Nebraska. She at first hates moving across the world to Australia. But, after meeting new friends Mia Hobbs and Katy Arlington, Sara begins to warm up to her new home. The three girls take a boat trip to Mako Island a few days after Sara arrives, mostly for Mia to spite her cousin, Zane, for always telling her to avoid the island. They get turned into mermaids after being in the Moon Pool under a full moon. After an initial shock and a rocky start, the three girls get used to having tails.

Farley Davis moves to Gold Coast from Brisbane, his new house directly across the street from Sara. They hit it off somewhat well, despite Farley being slightly awkward, with and he develops crush on Sara. Mia and Katy discover they have powers over water, but Sara can't figure hers out, sending her into a saddened state.

On a swim alone to the Moon Pool to clear her head, Sara finds she can move water with her mind and is delighted by her newfound powers. But, she's seen by Farley as a mermaid after he gets dared by Mitch Stevens to go to Mako Island. He makes a deal with Blake Everton to work with him to be more attractive and self-confident to get a chance to date Sara, as he believes he doesn't have a chance in his current state.

Katy gets recruited by Marian to spy on Mitch, her boyfriend, because she doesn't know anything about him outside of school. Katy does this and finds out Mitch lives in a run-down boat house all by himself. He catches her though, but they hit it off. They become friends after Mitch explains his situation to her, including how he started living in the boat house

The first full moon comes around and all three girls are unaware how it will affect them. They all get moonstruck quickly. Farley and Zane find them all moonstruck and try to get everything under control, eventually following the three girls to Mako. Farley leaves so the girls don't find out he knows about what they are. Zane informs Rikki Chadwick about the new mermaids and confronts Mia, Katy, and Sara the next morning. He tells them he'll keep their secret and leaves. Farley finally feels he has enough courage and asks Sara out that day.

Sara, Mia, Katy all have their first dates with Farley, Blake, and Mitch respectively. Farley surprises Sara by kissing her spontaneously, a move she thought Farley would never make. Mia forgives Blake for ending their childhood friendship and they start to talk again, and Katy and Mitch realize a mutual attraction, despite Mitch still dating Marian.

While discussing the dates in the Moon Pool, The girls are interrupted by Cleo Sertori, Rikki, and Bella Hartley. After an initial animosity at first, all six mermaids eventually find common ground and come to an understanding. Farley and Sara start dating officially.

Katy sees Mitch behind the girls' backs, giving suspicion to Mia, who while without Katy becomes a third wheel to Sara and Farley. Bella and Will see Katy and Mitch together at the boat house and report it to Sara and Mia who confront Katy about it. After an argument, Katy agrees to stay loyal to the girls instead of Mitch. Sara and Farley get into an argument after Farley pushes too hard trying to get Sara to talk about her secret.

Blake plays up his altruism, leading him to be captured by some criminals near some abandoned docks. They attempt to sink their boat to get rid of Blake and make it look like an accident. Blake almost drowns but is rescued by Mia, who reveals her mermaid abilities to him. He accepts her for what she is and they start dating officially.

The next full moon comes and all six mermaids are together. Mia gets moonstruck accidentally and texts Blake. He realizes that Farley has known about the mermaids for a while. They go to where the girls are, and Farley reveals to the group he's known about their tails for two months, prompting a big argument with Sara. In the chaos, Mia escapes to the sea. Katy gets moonstruck and escapes as well. Everyone goes after the two except for Sara who realizes how much Farley actually cares for her. The next morning, Farley and Sara talk about everything and come to an understanding. They continue dating.

Mitch questions Katy why they haven't been talking for awhile. Katy explains how she thinks Mitch is using her. Afraid to lose Katy, Mitch breaks up with Marian publicly. Katy goes to him and they rekindle their relationship, choosing to date officially now. Sara and Mia begrudgingly accept this as they see that Mitch might actually be genuine.

Sara, Mia, and Katy go to Sara's house to see that Sara's old friend Jenny is visiting from America. After an awkward dinner, Sara and Jenny hang out and relive old times. They realize how much they have drifted apart and how much Sara loves living in Australia. This is when Sara decides to fully accept her new life in Australia.

Mitch and Katy take their relationship to school for the first time, but they Marian's wrath. Nothing bad happens, so they think they're in the clear. Unfortunately, an accident at Katy's house leads to Mitch finding out Katy is a mermaid. He accepts her, although he's still somewhat skeptical. Too scared to think, Katy decides not to tell Mia and Sara about what happened.

After being in Australia for some time, Cleo, Rikki, and Bella return to the US for University. They give Sara, Mia, and Katy each a crystal necklace for good luck, as well as their blessing for protecting Mako. All seems well.

The girls wake up from the next full moon, and they don't remember anything at all. Blake and Farley aren't answering their phones. Katy reveals that Mitch knows about her, and they might try to ask him. Sara and Mia chastise her but decide it's their best shot. Mitch has found out they're all mermaids, and after being somewhat dismissive for being lied to, he tells them to get to Mako Island where they find out all three of them attacked Blake and Farley with newfound storm powers the night before. Scared of their new powers, the girls vow to not use them. In that midst, they find out they can also use telepathy to talk to each other when in mermaid form.

Dr. Denman, Elliot, and Laura are working in the Galapagos Islands. Denman finds a silhouette of a picture of a mermaid posted on the internet by Marian and her new boy, Aaron. She takes their group to Gold Coast to find out more, without telling Elliot and Laura the true nature of their journey.

Sara's birthday arrives and she turns seventeen. She gets into a fight with her parents about them being too overprotective, and her father even threatens Farley to make sure he treats Sara with respect. In her anger, she goes for a swim to cool down. She accidentally gets captured by Dr. Denman. Denman reveals that she doesn't want to hurt Sara and reveals she was in contact with mermaids before and ruined everything. She wants to do right by Sara and lets her go to make her own decision.

Confused and scared, Sara goes to Blake who agrees to be her confidant. They both go back to Denman and agree to do research on her mermaid abilities. Over the next few weeks of research, Farley and Mia become more suspicious of Sara and Blake being distant, so they confront the two of them. After an argument, Farley decides to go on a break from Sara, who is disheartened but ultimately agrees.

On the next full moon, the three mermaids stay apart. Unfortunately, Sara accidentally gets moonstruck again and goes to Farley's house. She keeps saying she wants to give him a gift in recompense for the way she's been acting, prompting Farley to follow her to Mako. Sara tricks Farley into the Moon Pool under the full moon.

The next morning, Farley realizes he's become a merman. In a panic, he goes to Zane for advice and eventually distances himself from Team Mako. After being reclusive for over a week, he decides to talk to Sara again, who's angry at his sudden and unexpected disappearance. In the argument, Sara throws water on Farley who just barely gets to a hiding place in time, but he is found out by Sara being a Merman. Sara touches Farley's fin, causing her to remember what she did to turn him into a merman, so she runs away thinking she ruined Farley's life. While she jumps into the sea, she's spotted by Marian who sees her with a tail.

Farley pulls Team Mako together and reveals he was turned into a merman. After a bit of animosity, mostly from Mia, the six of them go to Mako to search for Sara. Farley finds her using telepathy, and they make up. He forgives her for turning him into a merman. The both of them continue their relationship again.

All seems well, until the last day of school. At the Cafe before the end of year party, Marian tricks Sara and dumps water on her. Sara ends up getting revealed as a mermaid in front of the entire Cafe. Sara barely escapes the chaos by fleeing to Zane's office who reveals he has a plan for when a mermaid gets revealed. Sara quickly heads to Mako Island.

The rest of Team Mako, including Sara's parents, Denman, Elliot, and Laura meet up and all is revealed about everything going on. Despite the confusion, they all meet Sara at Mako Island. Zane arrives and tells them all to be ready for anything. Sara is rattled, but she pulls through. Sara looks at the people gathered there for her and decides she's ready to do what it takes.

And thus ends Part 1

Now get ready for part 2!


	34. Chapter 33: Plan of Action

**So… I'll be honest. I thought I would create a sequel to my original story. And, it really didn't work out the way I was anticipating. But, I talked to my loyal readers and they suggested just making the it one long and continuous story. So, that's what I'm going to do. Ladies and Gentleman, here comes chapter 33, the former chapter 1 of the sequel now coming on this page.**

 **Chapter 33: Plan of Action**

The Redemption pulled slowly toward the marina in the dark of night. Sara stared out over the inky black waters, unsure of what to think about her life anymore. She was revealed to the world to be a real-life mermaid. She would never to be able to live a normal life ever again. It didn't matter how hard she tried. Everyone knew what she was, and they'd never forget. She was a seventeen year old girl who had to shoulder the weight of the world now. Even so, she had good friends and family who were fiercely loyal to her and her struggle. That was the only thing she was clinging onto at the moment. That, and the small slimmer of hope that everything would turn out for the best and she would eventually be accepted by the world.

Sara sighed and went back inside the cabin. The group of people inside were crowded around together, watching a news broadcast on Elliot's tablet. "And no word on the whereabouts of the newly revealed mermaid, Sara Meyer," A Journalist spoke outside of Rikki's Cafe, the same as many they all had seen on the same type of broadcasts throughout the night. "Although, a press conference has been set up for her tomorrow morning by her supposed manager, Zane Bennett. Hopefully we all can get some more information about Ms. Meyer. But, until then we can only wonder who she actually is, why she's here, and what she wants with us humans. This is Carrie Jefferson reporting outside of Rikki's Cafe in Gold Coast signing off for now."

"They still don't seem to get it. I am a normal person, despite being a mermaid and everything." Sara stated. The group turned toward her in surprise. "They're acting like I'm an alien."

"You are a normal person sweetie," Karen spoke up.

"I know that. You all know that. But… They don't know that," Sara gestured toward the outside world. "Everybody around the globe is making a judgement about me right now, and I bet very few are thinking that I'm actually a human girl. I bet they're thinking I'm some sort of magical creature like from the Little Mermaid! And that's being generous! They could think I'm some sort of monster."

"Then prove them wrong," Katy challenged. "Show them the smart, sarcastic, and tenacious girl we all know and love. They'll be sure to love you as well."

"You convinced me you were an amazing girl, and the mermaid part only made it better," Farley added. "You can easily convince the public of the same."

"Well to be fair, you did have a huge crush on me before you found out I was a mermaid," Sara bantered, easing up her anxiety just for the moment.

"That is technically true," Farley stated, smile on his face.

Sara smiled as well. With everything going on, she still had Farley right by her side no matter what. What worried her was if Farley got revealed as a merman. Or, if Katy and Mia got exposed. No. This was her mistake, so it was her fight to deal with it. She had to keep the others out of it as best as possible. They couldn't take the fall because of her.

Denman pulled up slowly into an empty space in the marina just as the clock hit midnight. She killed the motor and walked back to the rest of Team Mako, still assembled in the open room. "Ok. We're back in the Marina," She stated. "Let us all disperse calmly and quietly; one or two at a time. We don't want to attract any undue attention to ourselves, especially tonight. Also, for you merpeople, do not get into the water. Walk home. We have no idea if people are scouring the waters looking for Sara, even though it's as late as it is right now."

The group nodded. Mia and Blake departed the vessel down the gangplank and toward land with solemn expression. Mia hugged Sara one last time before she left.

Farley turned to Sara in a moment, caressing her face in his hands. "Hey. Remember, we are with you no matter what Sara. I promise you I will do whatever you need me to do," Farley promised. "You're going to get through this. Keep the faith."

"Thank you Farley. You have no idea how much that means to me," Sara replied. Farley kissed her quickly, then he turned and exited the boat, walking home. At that time, Mitch unhitched Farley's boat, heading to drop it off at Farley's house so Farley wouldn't be splashed trying to drive his own boat.

Sara sighed. The Redemption seemed more and more empty now as all her friends departed. But, they at had a plan, at least for now. Sara was going to be staying at Katy's house for that night. The area around her house would most likely be surrounded by journalists. Being close to any reporters at all could be catastrophic, especially before the press conference the following morning.

Sara hugged her parents. "We are with you no matter what Sara," Paul stated. "We love you. And we always will." Sara nodded. She looked on through teary eyes as her parents unhitched the Hayseed and rode away, leaving her more alone than ever.

"Be careful tomorrow," Denman warned. "Zane and I will be there with you, but we don't know how any of the attendees are going to act. We must be cautious."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sara replied. "I just… I'm usually not the one who enjoys the spotlight. Even if everyone grows to accept me, I doubt I'll ever have a fully private life ever again. My life will turn into a reality show like Keeping up with the Kardashians."

"Well, they got rich from it so maybe you'll be as well?" Katy suggested, trying to think positively.

"Still… That's even the best case scenario. Will people even like me for what I am? Will they learn to appreciate and accept me?" Sara wondered aloud.

"Well, from personal experience seeing you for the first time, it can be quite a shock to see a real mermaid," Elliot explained. "But, Laura and I eventually got over it. The people will grow to love you."

"You were quite surprised about seeing a real mermaid," Sara joked, before turning serious. "But turns out I'm not the first one you've known. How are you feeling now after finding out about your sister?"

"A bit uneasy and unsure. I probably should call her. Looks like we need to talk about everything that's happened over the past few years and why she's hidden it from me. I don't know what to say though."

"I wish you the best of luck talking to her," Laura joked.

"We all could deal with a healthy dose of luck right now," Sara put in. "Luck that people accept me, luck that Mia, Katy, and Farley don't get revealed as well, and luck for Elliot and his sister to find common ground."

"It'll all work out for the best. You've just gotta believe in it," Laura assured her.

Sara nodded. _I really, really hope you're right about this._ She thought to herself. Sara opened her phone to reveal a text from Zane. "I've brought the car around to the edge of the marina. Hurry here quickly before someone can spot one of us," it stated.

Sara nodded to Katy, and the two of them quickly stood and gathered their things. "I'll pick you up in the morning," Denman announced. "Zane will be prepping your press conference, and then we can begin."

"Thanks Doc," Sara responded, and she and Katy quickly scurried down the gangplank. Once on the dock, they quickly made their way out of the marina in the cover of night. The docks were mostly empty due to it being late, and they made it through without anyone spotting them.

Zane pulled his car up to the curb, and the two girls dove into the back seat, buckling into the seats. "Everything alright?" he asked, pulling away from the marina.

"Oh of course!" Sara shot sarcastically, "My life is ruined, I'll never have any privacy again, but I haven't been dissected yet. So, I got that going for me, which is nice."

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Sara," Zane consoled her. "I truly am. But, that's why everyone is here for you. All of us. Even…. Denman…." Zane gritted as he spoke her name.

"Zane, I know you hate her. It makes me feel even weirder knowing that Rikki an Cleo were the mermaids she hurt years ago. But… She's here for me, just like you are," Sara responded. "And we all need to work together."

"I know. Maybe she has really changed. I don't know. But, for now there's more we have to worry about it," Zane added. "And, I'm at least able to tolerate working with her as long it's for you and she treats you with respect."

"What do you want the rest of us to do tomorrow? Like, Mia, Farley, and I for example." Katy asked.

"Stay out of sight. You, Mia, and Farley especially. I'll even throw Blake and Mitch in there for good measure because of their closeness to Sara. But, you mers need to stay out of the spotlight at all costs. We can't have you there and everyone start asking more questions, like seeing if Sara is the only mermaid, or if her best friends are ones as well," Zane explained. "It'll stop people from theorizing, at least for now."

"Sounds good to me," Katy replied.

"But still, you all will probably have to answer questions about your relationship to Sara eventually. I fear for Farley. I feel like dating you, Sara, will get him a lot of attention from paparazzi," Zane warned. "And not a good kind of attention."

"I trust Farley. I feel like he'll be safe and smart about everything," Sara defended.

"Even so, we must all be wary. You're probably going to be a celebrity after this, so you must be cautious about what you do and say," Zane advised.

"I hoped that wouldn't be the case, but I have a feeling that it's going to end up being true," Sara relented.

"Hey, we have a good plan of action in place. Now, we just need to execute it. Once that all goes well, everything will turn out ok," Zane explained. "You may become a celebrity, but at least people will love you."

"I sure hope you're right Zane. I really do," Sara spoke.

"Before we start tomorrow, is there anything else you want me to do. I'll do anything I can," Zane added.

Sara pondered for a moment. "I want you to ban Marian from any and all events I do. She purposely revealed me. For what, I don't know. Maybe for the fame and popularity. So, I want her to get nothing from me."

"I'll do what I can. You deserve that much Sara."

The rest of the car ride continued in silence, and soon Zane pulled up the car into the dark driveway of the Arlington household. The three of them sighed, each feeling the weight of their current situation, with Sara feeling the most dread. The next was going to test her mentally and physically.

Sara and Katy got out and entered into the house, careful to be quiet and avoid waking Katy's parents. They were leaving early the next morning on another business trip, so Sara and Katy just had to stay out of their way and they were good to go.

They both got into Katy's massive King size bed on opposite sides. Sara noted how soft it was and became slightly jealous of her. "Good night," Sara called as Katy turned off the light.

"Good night Sara," Katy replied, turning over. She was instantly asleep. Sara stared up at the ceiling above her. Tomorrow would be the biggest day of her life. Needless to say, she was basically terrified. _What am I going to do?_ She pondered to herself. _I guess I trust in myself, I trust in Zane, and I trust in my friends. That's all I can hope to do._

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Sara woke up peacefully, the glittering summer sun shining its way into Katy's bedroom, casting its light upon her face. Sara opened her eyes, staring straight upward towards the ceiling. And then, the memories of the previous day came flooding back into her. She shut her eyes for a minute, forcing the tears away, trying to steady herself. _I can do this. I can do this._ She reminded herself as she reopened her eyes, hopefully ready to face the day.

Katy yawned and rolled over. "Morning," she mused, still half asleep. Sara sat up and threw off the blankets.

"I'm going to take a quick bath, Katy, I hope you don't mind," Sara announced.

"Yeah...sure.. Just don't...mmbmkjdf...," Katy mumbled incoherently, falling back asleep instantaneously. Sara shrugged and went into the bathroom. Once the bathtub was filled, she hesitated for a moment, before lowering herself into the waters. She admired her tail once it appeared, adoring the way it glittered in the water. _No matter what happens. I'm never going to give this up._ Sara promised to herself.

Once clean and dry, Sara came back out into Katy's room where Katy was just barely sitting up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How are you doing this beautiful morning?" Katy asked when she saw Sara.

"About the same," Sara shrugged. "I still have this anxious feeling because I don't know how things are going to go today. I can only hope for the best at this time."

"Have faith Sara. It's gonna all work out!" Katy assured her.

"Oh Katy, your optimism literally knows no bounds. Seriously, it might not work out. But, I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure that doesn't happen."

Katy chuckled. "Who says damnedest anymore? Is this the 1950s?"

Sara chuckled alongside her, but she kept going. Within seconds Sara was rolling on the floor in uncontrollable laughter. Despite the joke not being that funny at all, it was the quick moment of humor that got to Sara, shattering the tension in her room. She couldn't help herself as she was laughing in hysterics.

Sara pulled herself up after a moment, looking at Katy's skeptical and confused face. "Thank you Katy. I needed that," Sara spoke. Katy just shrugged in response.

Sara dressed in her sundress from the night before. It wasn't dirty, and it was the best clothing she currently had, so she went with it. She put on makeup, hoping to look presentable, especially if she was going to be hounded by pictures and news cameras. It was the best thing she could do.

Sara and Katy jumped when the doorbell rang, spinning to each other. "Go check who it is," Sara spoke quickly. "I can't be seen by anyone here. Call me down if it's Denman though."

"Right," Katy replied, hustling downstairs. Sara waited in silence for a minute, heart beating rapidly. It could be a reporter. People knew that Sara and Katy were friends, and they'd want to question Katy about what she knew about Sara. "Sara, come down quickly. It's Dr. Denman," Katy called.

Sara was down the steps and to the front door in two seconds flat. She skidded to a stop, sliding right up to Denman. Dr. Denman had a serious and determined look on her face.. "Are you ready for today?" She asked Sara.

Sara gulped, forcing out courage and bravery. She fought bullies to lose weight. She moved to Australia without knowing anyone. She became a mermaid. This was what she could do. Sara was strong, powerful, and confident. "Well, whether I am or not, I need to do this," She replied with poise.

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Zane paced back and forth nervously in his office. He was wearing a nice suit, snug against his body. This all had to go right, for everyone. His mind flashed to Rikki and Mia, the two mermaids closest to him. He also pondered about Katy, Bella, Cleo, Farley, and even Emma. For all of the mers, this was of utmost importance. Sara being accepted was the biggest step for all the them to be able to live their lives mostly in peace, whether they went public or not. The press conference was going to begin in fifteen minutes, and he would walk out on stage and give his official statement on the matter. Then, Sara would come out when she arrived with Denman and give her statement followed by questions. It had to work. It had to...

Zane jumped as his cell phone rang. Heart racing, he saw that it was Rikki calling him. They had already talked about what happened with Sara, and no doubt the news would be all over the place by that morning. "Hello?" he asked nervously as he put his phone to his ear.

"Has it begun?" Rikki asked.

"No… No…. It's about fifteen minutes away…" Zane moved to the door and peered outside to a jam packed Cafe, with a large mass of reporters and journalists all trying to get a look at the mermaid when she arrived. "But, the Cafe is extremely crowded right now with people. This is a huge deal."

"Of course it's a huge deal. A mythological creature in real life? This is world class news, Zane," Rikki added sarcastically. "Don't take it so lightly."

"I know I know. I'm working on it. This affects everything we know."

"So don't screw it up then. Make sure Sara knows that as well. We're riding on you and her. Do us proud."

"I love you Rikki. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

Rikki paused for a moment. "Do right by Sara. Do whatever it takes to make sure she can be loved and accepted by people. That is the way you can prove your love to me."

"I'll do everything I can."

"Good luck!" Rikki replied, and the call ended. Zane stared at the phone in his hand, worrying about the future.

Just then, the back door opened, and Dr. Denman and Sara entered into the office, seemingly on edge. "Good. You made it," Zane stated. "The room is packed in there. Hundreds of people want to see you speak today."

"I know I know. Don't remind me," Sara replied. "This is gonna be a crazy day." She rubbed her temples, preparing herself for the stress.

"I just got off the phone with Rikki. She gives you and me her blessing in her own special way. But she warned us that it affects more than just you. All of the mers are riding on this."

Sara sighed. "Well, now or never. This is it," She put in.

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When it hit exactly 10:00 am, Zane strode out of the office. The audience began to hush as Zane walked up onto the stage where a table with microphones had been set up. Silently, Zane sat down at an empty chair on stage. He shuffled a few papers on the table.

The audience exploded with questions hammered at him. The cameras flashed and the journalists raised their voices. Zane held out a hand towards the crowd who began to calm themselves, and slowly the room became silent again. "Hello. My name is Zane Bennett, and I am the manager of and acquaintance to Ms. Sara Meyer. I would like to make my statement in regards to my association with Ms. Meyer at this time before we begin," Zane stated.

The journalists pressed in, eager to hear more. Zane cleared his throat, and began speaking from his prepared statement. "I met Ms. Meyer around six months ago. She had just moved to Gold Coast from Gibbon, Nebraska, in the United States. I became acquainted with her due to her friendship with my cousin. I found out about her secret some months ago by accident. We discussed about it and how it affected her life. Eventually, I became her friend and confidant."

Zane fell silent for a moment, switching his paper. He began again. "For all intents and purposes, Sara is a normal human girl. She loves sports, she goes shopping with her friends, she goes on dates with her boyfriend, and she deals with all the problems we deal with. She loves, laughs, cries, and hopes just like everyone in here today, and everyone watching at home. So, I implore you to treat her like a human; a human being who has a wonderful gift. Now, she wishes to show it to the world."

This was Sara's cue. She steeled herself, preparing for what might come. She exited the office, walking over to the stage. Any whisper in the crowd stopped immediately when they saw her. In absolute silence she climbed onto the stage and sat next to Zane, who greeted her with a hug, and he then left the stage to Sara. With all the courage and conviction she could muster, she said into the microphone. "I would like to speak to you all now."

 **If you like this new format, send a review in. I'm still deciding if this is how it will continue or not. Possibly yes but, again, I still want to make sure it's the right decision.**


	35. Chapter 34: The Press Conference

**Chapter 34: The Press Conference**

The whole Cafe was silent. All the journalists attending the conference stared eagerly up at Sara, who casually took her seat next to Zane up on the stage. Despite the calm demeanor, Sara's heart was exploding from her chest. Two hundred people had crammed into the Cafe's main room, from news organizations all over Eastern and Southern Australia, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the newly exposed mermaid.

Sara pulled out her prepared statement nervously. She was going to read it slowly and carefully, just as Zane had instructed. It had to go perfectly well. Zane, Denman, and Sara had gone over what she could say such as how she became a mermaid, whilst avoiding mention of the other mers. It had to go right

Before Sara could begin, she saw a small amount of shuffling a few rows into the crowd. It caught her attention for a moment. "Hey mermaid! Catch!" sounded a voice below her. She had a moment of reaction before she saw an arching mass of water shoot toward her.

The whole crowd gasped as Sara jumped backward and to the right to avoid being splashed. Luckily, none of the drops splashed on her body. Instead it splashed harmlessly on her empty seat. Zane had jumped away too but he got a few drops on his sleeve which he brushed off easily

Sara walked to the next seat over which was dry and sat down. With all the courage and anger she spoke harshly, "I want whoever threw that water to immediately be thrown out of this establishment and banned from any further events involving me."

The crowd stared on in stunned silence. The security stepped up quickly, grabbing the protesting man and dragging him out of the room. Sara cleared her throat when the room was silent again. "That was an interesting start, I will say," She quipped, and the room laughed a bit. "I would like to make my statement first, and afterward I will open up the floor to questions," Sara began slowly. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I know you're all here to learn more about who and what I am. You're curious and wanting to know about my… abilities… specifically what happens with me when I touch water."

Sara gulped. "It is true. I am a mermaid." The whole crowd gasped and began murmuring amongst themselves. "However, that wasn't always the case. I wasn't born as one. I was born an ordinary American girl from Gibbon, Nebraska. I was transformed into a mermaid some months ago, which I had no choice in the matter." Sara nervously looked at the prepared story. She needed to tell these people how she became a mermaid, but telling them the actual truth would be catastrophic.

"I went on a boating trip with a few friends not too long after I moved here to Gold Coast. During that trip, I accidentally fell out of the boat after hitting a nasty wave. At the time, I had no idea how to swim. Ironic since I'm currently a mermaid, but I digress. My friends had missed me in the darkness. Alone and afraid, I sunk beneath the waves, believing I was going to die…" Sara added a fake tear, hoping to add to the effect. "Then, there was this bluish glow that came to me, followed by a flash of light. I thought it was just my imagination, but the next thing I knew I was back in the boat with my friends coughing up seawater. It wasn't until the next morning when I got into the shower that my tail appeared and it became clear to me that I am a mermaid. I have no explanation and knowledge as to where the glow and light come from. And still, I have no idea why it happened. All I know is that it turned me into a mermaid, and I've been one ever since."

Sara fell silent as the murmuring continued. Sure her explanation had been a lie, but it wouldn't be like they had a reason to doubt her story. They had to believe her! She held her hand to quiet the room and cleared her throat. "I will now answer some of your questions," Sara stated.

The room exploded, as journalists threw their hands up, trying to fight for Sara's attention. Almost overwhelmed, Sara pointed to a journalist towards the front of the stage. "Hello, I'm Heather Burns from the Brisbane Gazette," the journalist spoke, "Why have you decided to come out publicly as a mermaid now?"

Sara sighed. "For all my time being a mermaid I had considered going public. I felt like whatever time wouldn't be right, and I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted as what I am. Unfortunately I was not given that luxury as I was revealed in a public place. But now, after what has happened, I want to show the world who I truly am. I am real. I am here. And I exist." Sara's heart was still beating, but it felt good giving her answer. She felt powerful up on the stage and confident. This, despite always hating the spotlight. _This is kinda fun!_

Another round of hands flew up, and Sara pointed at a balding man in his late thirties. "Yes, How have you been holding up being the only mermaid? You must get lonely sometimes out in the sea by yourself," the man spoke.

"Yes, it can be lonely swimming in the sea…" Sara began. "There are times where I wish I had someone to share my abilities with…" She completely lied to everyone. But talking about the other mermaids would have been disastrous. Sara needed to give the others time to decide when they wanted to come out as well.

"But surely there must be someone who you confide in," the man responded.

"You have a boyfriend correct?" A journalist asked.

"Yes! Tell us about that! Who is he?" Added another.

A drop of sweat trickled down Sara's back. _I can't talk too much about Farley… People might find out about him being a merman! But… I have to tell them something._ "His name is Farley. He moved here from Brisbane about a week after I did." Sara spoke. "He's very nice and determined. When we we first met, he had such a huge crush on me. He was slightly awkward, but in a cute way. Over the next month he started working out to impress me. And, well it certainly worked. And, eventually I fell for him as well."

Sara cleared her throat and continued. "Farley is a fantastic boyfriend and a great person. And I am proud to be dating him." Murmurs grew from the crowd. Sara continued smiling. She was proud to share her relationship that way, talking about Farley. She felt like she was beginning to be able to be herself.

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Farley paced back and forth in the Meyers' living room. The other members of Team Mako, including himself were all there watching the Press Conference on television. Paul and Karen were sitting closest, watching with wide eyes. Katy and Mia sat on the other couch, their eyes glued as well on the television, full of anxiety. The rest were milling about, as Farley continued his pacing up and down, waiting for Sara to come on screen.

"This is insane," Farley burst out nervously. "We're all screwed."

"Farley, relax," Blake stated. "You need to be anxiety-free for Sara. She needs you."

"What happens if people start questioning the rest of us if we have tails as well?" Farley questioned. "You don't have to worry about that Blake, but Katy, Mia, and I could potentially be exposed."

"Farley, please you're not helping," Mia added.

Before Farley could respond, their attention was switched to the press conference, as someone threw water up at Sara. They watched in awe at Sara's calm demeanor as she told off the attacker. Sara sat down and began reading her statement. A sense of calm seemed to wash over the room as Sara seemed to hit all the right notes without exposing the rest of them. Even Farley slowed his pacing and chose a spot on the couch next to Katy.

"Ok… This is starting well… Besides that whole water thing," Karen stated. "Oh… I just hope Sara is doing ok up there."

"She's doing great honey. Don't worry," Paul assured her.

They continued watching Sara's statement, and when she finished, she began getting into questions. Farley put his head down for a moment. He perked up again when he heard his name being spoken. "...proud to be dating him," Farley heard Sara say. He smiled when he heard that.

"How does he feel to be dating a mermaid like yourself? And how did he find out about you?" a reporter asked Sara.

"He found out about me sometime a bit after our first date," Sara lied. "It was by pure accident. He came over to my house, and I wasn't quite ready yet. So, he waited patiently in my room while I finished up in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the sink in my bathroom sprayed me. Before I could get dry, I turned into a mermaid and fell onto the bathroom floor. Farley heard my fall and ran over to the bathroom in a panic, thinking I had injured myself. I tried to yell at him not to come in, but it was too late. He opened the door and saw me in my tail right then and there. I was so scared. He was the first one to find out about my secret, even before Zane. But, instead of being frightened, he became curious about my abilities. This secret was something I could share openly with him, and that truly connected us."

Farley beamed at the TV as Sara spoke great things about him. Even so, the story she told was a complete lie, and he committed it to memory so he could corroborate it. This only caused more anxiety. She was talking too much about him, which means reporters would want to talk to him. More journalists meant more chances for water to be splashed on him. Not only that, Sara had told multiple lies on stage. Sure it was to protect the rest of them, but how far would journalists go to find out the real truth? And how much did the rest of them have to remember that were lies?

"Wow she must actually like you," Mia joked to Farley, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

"As much as I appreciate it, I don't really want to be a part of the spotlight," Farley returned.

"You're gonna be a part of it no matter," Elliot interrupted. "You're the bloke who convinced a mermaid to date you. Men all over the world are gonna wonder what your secret is. Magazines, talk shows, websites..."

"Alright mate I get it…" Farley grumbled. "I just want this all to blow over soon."

"Not for a long time I fear," Katy stated. "But when it does, we can all live normal lives again."

"It'll be hard to live normal lives after this. And we kinda stopped being 'normal' when we became mermaids," Mia countered.

"Even so, I… think I want to come out publicly eventually," Katy stated strongly.

All eyes shot to her. "You can't be serious!" Mia exclaimed.

"I am serious! Mia, Farley, no longer would we have to worry about being splashed, we wouldn't have to worry about being exposed. And, if Sara gets accepted and loved by the world at large, that means we will as well," Katy argued.

"It does make some sense. Only slightly though," Farley agreed, lightening up his anxiety. "I just… We need to be careful about this. Once it's out there, we can't take it back." The three mers contemplated to themselves. It would appear they would just have to wait and see what might happen.

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Sara stared out over the crowd assembled in front of her. The press conference had gone on for almost half an hour now, and the questions just kept coming. It had to end soon though. Denman had given her a time deadline to answer questions. Sara kept track through a small watch she kept on her lap while she went about talking. It was about time to end it.

"What's the best thing about swimming in the ocean?" Another reporter asked.

Sara wanted to roll her eyes, but instead she bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from doing it. It was so similar to other questions that had already been asked, and she felt slightly annoyed. She forced herself to a smile, adopting a light-hearted demeanor to answer the question.

"I would have to say the freedom of it all. I can go anywhere I wish under the water, and it is quite beautiful. Being from Nebraska, I could never experience something like that before. The ocean is an amazing place and I am happy to be able to swim anywhere I please. The water relaxes with me whether I go, and I feel like I can truly be myself." Sara stated. _Still… It feels good to finally talk about all this._

Another round of hands went up, hoping to ask a question of the mermaid once again, but Sara only raised her hand to quiet the crowd. "Unfortunately, that is the end of question time for now," She stated. "Instead, I would like to invite someone else up to the stage." Whispers went out in the crowd as Dr. Denman walked up onto the stage and sat next to Sara.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Linda Denman. I am a marine biologist. As well, I am Sara Meyer's co-manager and scientific advisor," Denman stated. "Sara and I have been working together for around a month finding out exactly how her mermaid condition affects her body."

Sara nodded, affirming Denman's statements. "I can assure you all, Ms. Meyer is no threat to anyone. She is only different. She is, so far as I can tell, a normal human girl who grows a scaly tail when exposed to liquid water," Denman continued. "I will be publishing a report in the coming months about my research with Ms. Meyer detailing her mermaid ability."

Denman nodded to Sara, and this was her turn again. Sara read the paper in front of her and sighed. She wasn't sure if she was ready for the next step, but it was what was necessary. Despite her being unsure, she spoke confidently. "This will conclude the press conference. However, myself as well as Mr. Bennett and Dr. Denman would like to invite those with certified press passes to the Marine Park. Starting at 1:00 pm I will be giving a… demonstration of my mermaid ability."

The Cafe erupted in noise as the journalists began arguing with each other as to what would happen at the Marine Park. During that time, Sara and Denman stood up and quickly made their way back to the office. They gathered their things, and exited toward Denman's car.

Denman pulled quickly away from the Cafe before they were spotted by departing journalists. "Are you ready for actually showing yourself to the world?" Denman asked to Sara.

Sara laughed. "Everyone has asked if I'm 'ready' for what lies ahead," Sara replied. "I hate being asked that question. Because it doesn't matter. I have to do this, no matter what. Whether I'm ready or not is irrelevant"

 **So, this is now the second chapter in my experiment. So far, a lot more people have been viewing it, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Send a review to let me know what you're thinking about the changes.**


	36. Chapter 35: A Public Display

**Chapter 35: A Public Display**

Sara and Dr. Denman walked casually through the back entrance to the Marine Park, away from any onlookers or reporters. Denman quickly headed for an office close to the dolphin area of the Park, still within areas only accessible by staff. Sara just followed behind. Denman worked in the Marine Park, and it was best to let her take the lead. Sara still kept her mind on the incoming demonstration she would give 's what worried her the most.

Sara and Denman entered the office to see a darker skinned man scowling as he sat behind a desk. He was looking downward at a laptop screen in front of him. His eyes moved up when he saw the two enter, and he immediately jumped up in elation. "Oh my god… You're Sara Meyer! The mermaid! Dr. Denman told me you would be coming here today but….Wow to see you in person… This is amazing," he rambled.

"Uh… Thank you?" Sara spoke, quite confused as she shook his hand. She looked up to Denman for explanation.

"Sara, this is Laurie, one of my most trusted associates here at the Marine Park. And Laurie… Well, it appears you already know who Sara is," Denman introduced them.

"Of course. I was just watching the whole press conference. I am definitely impressed by everything. And wow, to actually meet you… That's amazing. As a marine biologist this is huge for the advancement of our field" Laurie stuttered.

"Is everyone going to act like this on meeting me?" Sara asked to Denman.

"It's possible. Better for them to be starstruck rather than fearful or angry," Denman suggested.

"I suppose you're right. I want people to accept me, so I'll take it for now. Ok, what's the plan for today?" Sara asked.

"Well, Laurie has been setting up the main tank that is usually used for Dolphin shows for you. Basically you're going to give two shows. One coming up soon, and the other one about an hour after the first. You hop in, swim around for a bit and show your tail, do whatever you want, you talk about how awesome it is being a mermaid, you get out, dry off, your legs reappear, wave goodbye and that's it." Denman quickly explained. "I would say it isn't too strenuous."

"I guess that doesn't sound so bad," Sara relented. "Might feel good to show how I can swim. The only time people have really seen me in my tail is on the Cafe floor, which was really undignified. That was… I don't want to talk about it."

"Sure surprised the world though," Laurie added. "So many people have been talking about it. Have you checked social media at all?"

"No way. I logged out of all my social media and disappeared off the internet. I don't want to see at all what people are saying about me. It just makes me sick just thinking about it."

"Everyone's going crazy about you! You've become an instant celebrity."

"That's what I feared. Everyone is probably scared and hating me," Sara moaned.

"Are you kidding? So many people love you. You already have a fan club page started with over fifty thousand members!" Laurie raved.

"Really? I… How?" Sara was increasingly bewildered.

"I don't know. You're something the world has not yet seen before," Laurie added. "People had seen mermaids in movies and on tv, probably when they were kids. To see that actually be real makes people think of their childhood again? I don't know."

"But it hasn't been that long since I was revealed. It's been less than a full day... I'm gonna wait much longer than that before I decide if everyone likes me or not," Sara spoke.

Just then, the office door burst open. Sara spun in defensive position anticipating a flood of reporters, only to see Mia and Katy push past and run straight at her. "SARA!" they both shouted and hit her with a massive group hug. Farley stepped in after them, followed by the rest of Team Mako.

Sara began to tear up. "You guys made it," she stated. "I… I'm so glad you all are here."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Katy affirmed.

"We watched your whole press conference on TV," Mia added, "You were pretty awesome up there."

Sara moved on to Farley, who stepped up and kiss her passionately, much to the chagrin of her parents. He released her quickly. "I heard what you said about me," he swooned. "I'm glad you tolerate me so much."

"I only spoke what I truly felt," Sara spoke, staring up into his eyes. Sara moved away from Farley and onto her parents, who hugged her close.

"You were so brave today Sara. You looked confident and determined. We couldn't be more proud of you," Karen stated.

"As much as I hate to admit, it was kinda fun," Sara replied. It felt good to have her friends and parents there supporting her. She released her parents and turned to the rest of the group.

Just then, Zane's phone rang. "It's Rikki again. I wonder what she wants," He gulped, placing the phone gently up to his ear. "Hello?"

"WHY THE FUCK IS DENMAN INVOLVED WITH SARA YOU STUPID PIECE OF ABSOLUTE SHITE?!" Rikki screamed into the other end. What followed was a barrage of anger and hatred coming from the other line. Even without being on speaker phone, everyone in the office heard every word, and they all shifted uncomfortably. Sara lost count at how many f-words were shouted by Rikki after the first dozen.

When the tirade subsided, Zane spoke calmly and collectively into the phone. "Would you like to speak to Sara about this? I think she might want to explain a few things. She's the one that trusts Denman." Zane nodded, listening to Rikki, then handed the phone to Sara. "My girlfriend would like a few words with you. Don't worry, she promised not to scream at you."

Sara nervously placed the phone up to her ear. "H-hello?" She stammered, scared of how Rikki might respond.

"So… You're involved with the Devil Doctor herself huh?" Rikki spoke blatantly.

"I'm… assuming you're talking about Dr. Denman…"

"Of course I'm talking about Denman! Who else did you think I'm talking about? Sara, why the hell are you involved with her! You have to know the story of what she did to us!."

"She told me everything. The whole story. Even the first time I met her, when it was pretty clear that telling me that story would make her look evil and terrible. She seemed truly regretful and sorry over what she'd done."

"That's what she wants you to think! She's a manipulative and conniving bitch! You can't trust her!"

"Then why did Emma allow her brother to become her assistant! Oh yeah, I know about Emma Gilbert, and I know what happened to you, her, and Cleo. She forgave Denman enough to let Elliot work for her. Would you like to speak to Elliot? Have him corroborate my story?" Sara blasted.

The line was silent for a moment. Rikki shifted gears. "Alright fine, let's say for all intents and purposes that she has changed and you trust her. How did you meet her? And, why is she your scientific advisor?"

Sara quickly and nervously explained the story about how she was caught by Denman, following with Denman's story of redemption, and how it lead to the present day. Surprisingly, Rikki stayed unusually silent during the entire story. When Sara finished, the line went silent for a moment. "Are you still there?" Sara asked.

"Give Denman the phone," Rikki commanded. "I would like to speak with her."

Sara turned, handing the phone to Denman. "She wants to talk with you," Sara stated anxiously.

Denman gulped. "I had a bad feeling this would be coming eventually," She said, putting the phone up to her ear. For a few minutes, silence continued. Rikki didn't seem to be yelling as the others couldn't hear her. Denman kept nodding and agreeing throughout the entire conversation. Soon, the call seemed to end, as Denman said bye and hung up the phone, handing it back to Zane.

"What did she say?" Katy asked.

"She… will allow us to continue as planned. She doesn't trust me at all, but she knows that Sara trusts me. And… I guess that's good enough for her. However, she did say that if I ever double crossed any of you, she'd boil me alive. Which, I wouldn't doubt at all," Denman explained.

"Sounds like something she'd do," Mia joked.

"Can I please ask who you people are all?" Laurie interrupted.

Everyone turned stunned at him. They had all forgotten everything about him being in the room. Denman seized advantage and pulled him up. "Everyone, this is Laurie. He is my most trusted scientific partner here at the Marine Park," Denman stated. "Laurie, this is our little team. We're all here in support of Sara."

"Are all of you mermaids?" he questioned, surprised look on his face. 

"Of course not," Mitch snapped. "Don't try to assume anything about us."

"Whether they are or not, Laurie, nothing spoken in here must leave this room. Do not betray my trust," Denman warned. "Your discretion will be rewarded."

"Wow this is… Wait, then are some of you mermaids at least?" Laurie asked.

"Laurie, don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," Denman added again. "All you need know is that Sara is one, and you and I are going to work with her on the show today."

"Don't condescend to me Linda. I'm a strict professional such as yourself, and not some starstruck fanboy or greedy backstabber. But, I suppose you're right. However, I would like to speak with you after the event if I may."

"And we shall, but for now, the demonstration will begin soon, and we need to prepare," Denman stated.

"What do I need to do now for that?" Sara asked.

"You don't need to do anything yet. They're getting everything prepped out there," Laurie stated, gesturing toward the window. Sara peered outside and gasped. In front of her was a large pool, seemingly normal for dolphin shows. However, beyond that was the stands, crowded with people, mostly journalists, eager to see the mermaid in action. Sara began to feel her knees weaken at the seeing the massive amount of people crowding into the stands. She grabbed the window frame to support herself before strength returned to her legs.

"Oh my god. There are so many people out there right now wanting to see me…" Sara trailed off. "What am I going to do…"

The others rushed to the window as well. "Now this is getting ridiculous," Farley stated.

"No shit sherlock," Laura berated.

"Listen minion, we have to work together on this," Farley fired back. "Plus, it's Mia's job to make the sarcastic comments."

"Yeah. Take that! Wait… What?" Mia spoke.

"Come on. Let's all relax," Blake suggested. "We can't fight among us. Besides this is what we need to do."

"I just hope such a public display of Sara's abilities will lead people to love her. One less thing to worry about," Katy spoke.

"What are the rest of us going to do while Sara's doing her thing out there?" Farley asked.

"The rest of you are going to go to the backstage viewing area," Denman explained. "It'll give you all a clear view of the demonstration without having you hassled by the crowd of journalists. Laurie will guide you there."

Laurie nodded, and he guided the others away toward the viewing room, leaving Denman and Sara alone in the office. Sara solemnly stared out the window as even more patrons crowded into the stands. "Cheer up Sara, They're going to love you," Denman stated.

"Maybe so… I don't know… This whole thing is just too bizarre…" Sara replied.

"And being a mermaid isn't bizarre enough on its own?"

Sara chuckled. "Alright you got me there. How much longer have I got before I'm on?"

"About twenty minutes or so."

Sara nodded. She would be ready.

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Twenty minutes later, Sara steadied herself. It was time. Laurie had returned from delivering the rest of Team Mako to the observation room. Denman stepped up to the main door leading out onto the pool deck. "Ok Sara. This is it. Are you…"

"Yeah whatever. I'm ready. I told you I hate being asked that," Sara responded quickly. "I'm good. Let's fucking do this."

"Ok. Let's go," Denman replied. Sara nodded, and the two of them stepped out of the door and into the blinding sunlight. As soon as they both stepped out onto the deck, the talking stopped, and the entire crowd grew silent. Sara cautiously stepped toward the pool with hundreds of eyes on her. She looked toward Denman hopefully, who grabbed a headset from Laurie and placed it on her head.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen!" Denman spoke through the headset, magnifying her voice through the speaker system. "It is my privilege to introduce the mermaid, Sara Meyer!" Sara couldn't help but beam as the entire crowd burst into applause and cheers, all for her. She quickly covered her smile and replaced it with a calm demeanor. "Ms. Meyer will now give a demonstration of her abilities."

Feeling courage, Sara placed her hand into the air to quiet the crowd, who stopped the applause short, eager to see what would happen next. Sara returned her gaze to Denman, who nodded at her in response.

Sara gazed out over the water of the pool. Gathering all the strength and courage she could, Sara dove straight into the pool. Under the water, her tail appeared after ten seconds. _Ok…. This is it…._ Sara thought to herself. Swimming forward toward the edge of the pool closest to the crowd, Sara broke the surface, crawling onto the solid ground. She used her strong core to lift her tail up behind her in full view of the stunned crowd.

For several seconds, the pool was silent as the hundreds of attendees stared at Sara in shock and silence. Then, an enormous and deafening roar of cheers and applause came from the crowd. Sara looked out and saw all the people on their feet, cheering her on while cameras flashed all around her. Sara smiled and waved out at the crowd, who responded with another round of cheers and celebration.

Sara flipped backward into the pool. _I might as well show off to everyone._ She thought to herself, while simultaneously sending the message telepathically to Mia, Katy, and Farley, knowing it would make them slightly jealous of her. For the next ten minutes, Sara swam around the pool multiple times, showing off her speed and swimming skill. There was even a window near the bottom of the pool where multiple people including several wide-eyed children had crowded around to get a clear view of Sara. She waved at them as she flew past.

Sara had an idea pop into her head. She stayed down toward the bottom of the pool. A red light flashed underneath the water, which was Denman and Zane's way of letting Sara know that she needed to return to the surface. She wanted to try something first.

Steadying herself, she pushed off against the bottom of the pool, and within two tail strokes, she broke the surface, soaring into the air, high above the pool. She peaked at about fifteen feet in the air. _Oh shit…._ Sara panicked as she began falling toward the pool again. She formed herself into a dive position and shut her eyes!

SPLASH! Sara hit the water with tremendous force. Luckily, she had gotten into the dive position quickly, and instead of taking the brunt of the force, she slid relatively easily back under the surface. A rush of adrenaline hit Sara as she slowly recuperated. _I think that's enough excitement for one day._ Sara returned to the surface. She took a second to clear her head as she made her way toward the back edge where Denman was waiting, headset in hand.

"That was amazing," Denman whispered to Sara, "That last jump was incredible! How did you manage it?"

"I don't know… I've seen dolphins do it before, so I thought I could do it easily. That landing hurt though," Sara joked. Denman handed the headset to Sara. "What do you want me to do with this?" She asked.

"Talk to the crowd. Say some things," Denman suggested. "They all love you. This will make you seem more human. And don't worry. It's waterproof."

Sara grabbed the headset out of Denman's hand and placed it over her head. "Hello everyone!" She spoke cheerfully into the microphone. The crowd roared with applause and cheers. Sara had to admit that it felt really good. "I want to thank you all for coming out today to witness my abilities." As the crowd cheered around here, even louder than before, Sara began to feel better. For the first time since being revealed, she felt positive about the future.

 **Send a review if you loved it! I like to get feedback from my readers about what they like and dislike about the story.**


	37. Chapter 36: Ain't No Rest for a Mermaid

**Chapter 36: Ain't no Rest for a Mermaid**

Farley and the rest of the gang looked down onto the Marine Park pool from the backstage viewing room. It was a small space, devoid of much furniture besides a few chairs and a table with a computer. Not that anyone wanted to sit, however, as they all were pacing nervously at the front windows. The first demonstration had not started yet, and they were all waiting anxiously in anticipation.

Elliot was at the computer, pulling various news sites from Australia as well as America and Europe, trying to key into what everyone was saying about Sara across the world. "It seems almost every western news agency has sent someone to Gold Coast to find out more about Sara, or they are least discussing something about mermaids," Elliot spoke. "There are reporters and journalists here from the States, Canada, The UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, Argentina…"

"Alright we get it already," Farley interrupted angrily.

"This is getting so much bigger than we anticipated," Katy complained.

"Anticipated? I don't know what you anticipated, but we had no idea what to expect. That's why we're winging it here," Mia fired back.

"What are all the news sites saying?" Blake asked to Elliot, changing the subject and trying to avoid an argument.

"Mostly a lot of speculation right now. They keep going over the same footage from Sara's press conference over and over again. Social media is blowing up though. So many people are talking about her right now," Elliot responded. "Over a million tweets and counting, and that's just been since the end of her press conference."

"What's the general consensus?" Farley asked, stepping away from the window and looking over Elliot's shoulder.

"Mostly positive, so far as I can see," Elliot replied. "At least a large majority of the more popular tweets are positive. That's at least a good sign."

"I always loved the little mermaid as a child… Turns out it's actually a true story!" Farley read a tweet aloud to everyone in the room, who responded with mostly groans with a few chuckles from Katy.

"That is better than what the alternative is. Even so, this is why we need to make Sara more open to seem more human. The more they know about her, the less they have to fear," Zane explained. "Speculation can't be a good thing."

"He's right…" Mitch added. "Many people fear the unknown. That fear leads to anger, and anger leads to hate."

Katy put her arm around Mitch. "Awww…. I'm glad you know such wise proverbs," she teased.

"I literally just quoted Star Wars. But, I'm glad you loved it anyway," Mitch joked, kissing Katy.

"First of all, Mitch, Katy. Please save us your PDA," Farley joked. "And second, this is about Sara, and we have to make sure she's accepted as a whole by the public. Whatever the cost may be."

"It's starting!" Mia announced. Farley and Elliot rushed towards the windows. They heard Denman announcing Sara forward. Farley looked out to the crowd to see them roaring with applause.

They looked down below to see Sara dive into the pool. When her tail appeared, she began to swim around the pool for several minutes, culminating in a massive leap out of the water many feet into the air. "We can do that?" Farley announced aloud.

"Of course!" Mia joked. "Oh you've only had a tail for a couple weeks. There's so many things you don't know."

"Oh please, I'm guessing Sara's the first one who actually tried something like that," Farley bantered back.

Farley was interrupted by Sara's speech. "Hello Everyone! I want to thank you all for coming out today to witness my abilities." Sara spoke. The rest of them heard through speakers in the room. "I've waited for some time to reveal myself to the world, unsure if it would be the right choice. Yet still, I want to thank you all for your excitement, love, encouragement, and acceptance." Sara steadied herself for a moment. "Thank you for coming to watch me today!"

There was a collective sigh of relief in the viewing room as the group seemed to relax. The first demonstration had gone very well. "I'm so proud of our daughter," Karen stated confidently, with Paul right by her side.

"She did well," Katy stated. "She's doing us mers proud."

"Now you're just making us seem like we're not truly human," Mia spoke.

"Well, we're different Mia, and still it's important that through Sara, we can eventually find acceptance," Farley argued.

"I still don't want to go public though. Not for a while at least," Mia responded.

"Let's hope we actually get to make that choice," Farley trailed off.

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Sara had gotten dried off down below at the pool, standing up to her feet. She refused to use her powers to dry herself following Zane's advice, hoping that it wouldn't lead to people being frightened by her abilities. She waved backwards at the roaring crowd, following Denman back through the staff door and into the corridor.

"That was amazing!" Sara beamed to Denman once they were back inside. "That felt so good! I loved it!"

"You were great out there Sara," Denman added. "I don't see how anybody couldn't love you after that. But that was only the first of two presentations. We still have one more to do after this."

"I know I know…" Sara conceded. "At least now I'm feeling a lot more relaxed and confident. The next one will be a piece of cake."

Sara and Dr. Denman wandered their way through the building. They climbed up some stairs and burst into a seemingly random room, only for all the occupants to look at the two of them. "SARA!" Mia and Katy yelled, surprising Sara. They rushed toward her, hitting her broadside.

"We gotta stop this," Sara joked, "you're gonna hurt me eventually."

"It looked like everyone loved you out there," Mia noted, "This crazy hair-brained scheme of Zane's might actually work."

"Speaking of Zane, where did he go?" Sara asked, checking around the room.

"He said he had a phone call to take and disappeared. We haven't seen him for a few minutes at least," Katy responded.

Farley and Sara's parents walked up behind to meet Sara, each giving them a hug in quick succession. "How are you feeling?" Farley asked.

"A little overwhelmed, but otherwise I'm feeling ok," Sara replied. "It was a lot of fun though!"

"We're so proud of you," Paul added.

Just before Sara could respond, Zane burst into the room with a stupid grin on his face, out of breath but full of elation. "Sara! You're not gonna believe it!" he exclaimed.

"Oh I bet I will believe it, Zane. But what is it? Get it off your chest already. What's coming next?" Sara responded snarkily.

"You've got great wit. You'll be awesome at interviews. Speaking of that, I just got a call from Australian Broadcasting Network, and they want you to be a guest on their talk show Australia Tonight! They want you to come in for filming this afternoon!" Zane rambled.

"Wait what? What's Australia Tonight?" Sara asked, honestly a bit confused.

"Australia Tonight? It's the most well known late-night talk show in Australia!" Katy exclaimed. "You've lived here for six months and have never heard of them? Either way it looks like they want you to be their special mermaid guest."

"Ok, this is getting crazy. Especially if they're as huge as you say they are," Sara admitted. "What do I need to do for it?"

"Well, their filming begins around four and it's just past noon here. So for now, just proceed as planned with the second presentation," Zane informed. "As soon as that's done, we'll take you over to their studio. Understood?"

"Roger roger! Yes sir," Sara mocked a salute, trying to inject humor in. She sighed and chuckled, "Seems like there ain't no rest for a Mermaid."

"Maybe so, but still. It's a positive start. Let's continue this string of good luck," Zane added. "And maybe… just maybe… it might all work out."

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It all was going well so far. Sara had a successful press conference, a successful performance, and now she was going to be on a popular talk show. It was at this moment that all of them felt somewhat more relaxed. Farley jolted upward when his phone started buzzing. He excused himself from the group and went out into the hallway for more privacy.

"Hello?" he spoke into the phone.

"Yes, I am currently looking for Farley Davis. Might I speak to him?" An overly cheery woman asked on the other end.

"Can I ask what this is all about?" Farley countered skeptically.

"My name is Amber and I work for the Gentleman Australia lifestyle magazine. We want to offer a lucrative and exclusive interview to Mr. Davis about his relationship with Sara Meyer. We want to talk about how it is dating the first ever mermaid," Amber responded.

"I am Farley Davis," Farley spoke.

"Well, we understand you are dating Sara Meyer, the mermaid. We want you to answer some questions for our dear readers about how you convinced her to date you. Should be really easy!"

Farley hesitated. He suspected a call like this was going to be coming eventually. But he was so unprepared how to answer it. _Should I actually go through with it? No. I need to ask the others' perspectives. I can't risk myself on some foolish venture._ "I'm undecided at the moment. I would like to decline for now, but in the future I might like to accept your interview."

"Understood! If you wish to set something up, please call this number again. We would love to hear from you, and the rewards would be amazing," Amber spoke.

Farley hung up the phone, puzzled. _Why do they want to interview me? Should I do it? But will that take away some of the spotlight from Sara? And what if I'm accidentally splashed. I'd bet they'd love more to have an exclusive interview with a newly revealed merman…._

He didn't have any answers for himself. Farley returned to the group, unsure of himself. Sara picked up on Farley's seeming lack of focus immediately. "Is everything alright Farley?" She asked when Farley walked back in the door.

"I got a call from Gentleman Australia, the magazine… They want to interview me because apparently dating a mermaid is the new 'It Thing' right now," Farley responded.

"I feared this would happen," Zane grumbled. "Just wait. You all may get calls from news organizations wanting an exclusive interview to talk about being close to 'The Mermaid'."

"Well, Zane what do you think I should do in all your infinite wisdom?" Farley asked.

"Hmm… Not taking part in anything and being secretive would seem suspicious like you're hiding something. And this is a well-known and important businesses like Gentleman Australia. Keep a low profile, but we have to act as though you're a normal bloke who just does a few small interviews," Zane recommended.

"Ok… I'll call them back tomorrow and… I guess... set something up," Farley affirmed.

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An hour of milling around awaited them, before it was time for Sara to return back out to the pool for another presentation. Zane gave her parents a ride home. They wanted to stay out of the spotlight and were feeling tired. Sara only wished she could go with them, but she had a job to do. It was imperative that she stay and continue the work she was doing.

Sara walked over to Elliot, still engrossed on the computer. He rubbed his eyes, tired from staring at the screen for such a long time. "Shouldn't you take a rest from that?" Sara asked. "You've been at it for way too long."

"Don't you want to know what everyone is saying about you? It could be good to know public opinion. We can use it to your advantage," Elliot replied.

"Ugh… I'd rather not honestly. Sometimes ignorance is bliss," Sara pondered for a minute. "Don't you have something else to be doing Elliot?"

"Not particularly," Elliot responded quickly, refusing to take his eyes off the screen. "I need to help you."

Sara sighed. "Elliot, you need to call your sister," she suggested.

Elliot put his head down immediately, waiting in silence for a few moments. "I just.. I can't. I can't do it. What would I even say? What could I say? Everything over all these years makes sense now… I don't know what to do…She's a mermaid! And, she never told me about it..." Elliot rambled, strongly fighting back getting choked up.

"You need to be honest with her," Laura interrupted, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "This is your chance to have an open discussion about things with her. She'll want to ease things over, especially now that you know about her secret. She knew Denman knew about her past, so it would only make sense that you would've found out eventually."

"She's right you know. And I don't even know anything about your sister," Sara agreed. "Call her."

"Ok… Ok… I'll do it. While it's still evening in Florida," Elliot relented. He stood up, feeling a bit nervous, but mostly determined.

"I'll go with you for emotional support," Laura added. Sara nodded at Laura, who smiled back.

"Ok… Let's do this…" Elliot sighed.

He and Laura turned away from the rest of them, heading out into the silent hallway. Elliot sat down on an empty bench, the hard metal feeling cold as ice against him. Laura slid in next to him. Elliot took out his phone, placing it in his palm. It felt heavy in his hand. "I don't know if I can do this," he spoke.

"Elliot, you need to. You need to find closure here. You'll never find out anything unless you call her," Laura persuaded.

"Alright. Ok fine. I'm gonna do it. Just, give me a second. And don't pressure me about it."

Elliot paused for a moment, collecting his breath. When his courage peaked, he dialed Emma's number and placed the phone up to his ear. She picked up on the third ring. "Hey Elliot! How's it going?" Emma asked cheerfully.

"Hello Emma. We… need to talk…" Elliot trailed off, unsure how to begin.

"What's going on? I saw all the news about what's going on with Denman. Apparently she's the scientific advisor to that mermaid girl, Sara Meyer. Do you know what that's about? Are you involved in this as well? Have you actually met her?"

"Emma… It's… Well yeah, but that's beside the point…"

"You know the mermaid? That's great! I wish I was in your shoes. To be close to a celebrity like her, with those gifts, what I wouldn't give."

"That's not the point!" Elliot exclaimed, now frustrated.

"Then what is going on Elliot? Is there a problem I should know about?"

"I know you're a mermaid, Emma," Elliot stated bruntly yet quietly to not allow eavesdroppers to hear. The other line went deathly silent. Elliot continued. "Don't try to deny it, Emma. Denman and Zane told me the whole story. They told me everything that had happened to you. Zane told me the story about you and Denman. How did you forgive her after what she did? And how did you get your… abilities back after you gave it up to trick Denman?"

Elliot allowed the silence to begin again, waiting for Emma's answer. It took a minute. Elliot would've waited all day if he needed to. He finally wanted a straight answer out of Emma after all these years. "Elliot… I… I'm so sorry," Emma sobbed quietly into the phone. "I never meant for you to find out like this…"

"How did this happen?" Elliot asked, forcing himself to hold back tears and stay strong. "And the same thing with Cleo and Rikki too. Tell me the whole story. Please, Emma. You owe me that much."

Composing herself, Emma relayed the story to Elliot, from six years before when she became a mermaid with Cleo and Rikki up to the present day. Elliot listened silently, remembering back all those years and finding the memories of those days. Everything began to make sense. "I wish I had told you and Mum and Dad that long ago, but what could I say?" Emma continued "And what would happen to me?"

"We would've accepted you for who you are!"

"I didn't know if that would actually be the case! I was so scared of you all finding out about what I was and what I could do. So, I kept it a secret for years. Until now that is obviously. I suppose I couldn't think it would stay secret forever, especially from you."

"I have too many questions. My head is just spinning right now. I don't know what to think. To be fair you aren't the first one I've known about. I am actually friends with Sara Meyer after all. But still, you hid it from me for six years!"

"I'm so sorry Elliot. I wish I could've told you so many times before," Emma responded, more composed. Silence grew for a minute before Emma spoke again. "So… where do we go from here?"

"I forgive you." Elliot stated. "I forgive you for keeping your secret from me for so long. Do you know why? I understand your fear of other people finding out about your secret. I remember meeting Sara for the first time when we found out about her secret. She looked so scared and panicked. I now see why you never wanted to talk about it. That fear of being revealed; I completely understand it now. So… I forgive you for not telling me. But, when we see each other again, I want to sit down and have a long talk about everything. No more secrets."

"Whatever you want. And… Thank you Elliot…"

"Emma, I love you no matter what. You're the best sister that a bloke could ask for, guaranteed. I've gotta go though. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye Elliot."

Elliot hung up the phone, staring at the floor in silence. So much had come out of that call. It was a lot for him to handle.

"Did you get the closure you were looking for?" Laura asked.

"I suppose so. But still, I need to actually sit down and talk with her to get exactly what I need. That was enough at least for now. And the both of us are on the same page about everything."

"I'm glad. We should probably get back to the others now though. The next presentation is about to begin soon," Laura informed.

Elliot and Laura stood up together. Elliot smiled. He felt like he had accomplished something then. He got closure from his sister. _Thank you Emma. But be warned, you are going to tell me everything the next time I see you in Florida._


	38. Chapter 37: Television Star

**Chapter 37: Television Star**

Sara yawned loudly. She tried to contain it, but it just came out with no control. She quickly stifled it, hoping as not to annoy Denman sitting next to her in the car. She was tired, but there was no way she could quit now. The second presentation had gone even better than the first, with even more reporters cramming into the stands surrounding the pool. Each trick she did was met with roaring applause. And, when she was done, Sara was full of confidence and optimism, the highest it had been since she was revealed by Marian the day before..

ABN had sent out a car to pick both her and Denman up and take them to the studio for filming their interview for Australia Tonight. It was going to be a special broadcast featuring the one and only mermaid. Sara merely sighed at hearing at the marketing cheesiness behind it.

"How are you feeling?" Denman asked Sara.

"Considering all that's happened, not completely terrible. But, it's only the first day too. It was only last night people found out about me, and we've been extremely busy since then," Sara replied. "So I am tired, but I'm still determined to see this through."

The rest of the ride continued in mostly silence, as Sara was happy for some peace and quiet, if only for a moment. It wasn't too much longer before the car pulled into a back alley next to a taller glass and steel building in downtown. The driver held up the security pass at the entrance to an underground garage. Then, they pulled smoothly into the parking garage, plunging the interior of the car into darkness.

The driver swung left before stopping the car next to an inconspicuous entranceway, with a tall woman with brown hair tied tight into a bun standing in front of them. She held a tablet in her hand and had on an earpiece. She looked like she was all about business and not someone to be trifled with. She stepped forward when the car was fully stopped, opening up the side door for Sara, who stepped out cautiously onto the ground. The woman looked Sara up and down. "You must be Sara Meyer," she stated excitedly, trying to still sound stern and businesslike.

"Yeah. That's me," Sara responded, shaking the woman's hand. She felt strong and powerful. Sara only hoped she could trust her.

"My name is Helena Montgomery. I'm the Executive VP of Operations here at ABN. It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman introduced herself.

"Good to meet you. I'm surprised a high-up executive like yourself is meeting me down here instead of a simple page," Sara noted.

"You are our honored guest. And, we are expecting impeccable ratings from your broadcast. It's only necessary that I welcome you in person. Walk with me."

Sara stepped quickly to keep with Helena's stride. Denman tagged along behind. She was to have a smaller part in the broadcast, talking a bit of the scientific research Sara had done with her, but other than that, most of the attention would be focused directly on Sara, the mermaid.

"How is this interview going to go down?" Sara asked.

"Basically you walk out on stage, smile, wave, answer the questions from our hosts, and you go home. It's piss easy," Helena informed nonchalantly.

"But… That's it? I feel there should be more to it than that," Sara questioned.

"Ha… My dear, you're a celebrity now. You just have to say whatever is on your mind and people will love you," Helena added.

"I guess I can do that…"

"Excellent! Then you're going to do well out there. Don't you worry. You're going to be a television star," Helena encouraged. They wound their way through the hallways of the studio, passing various technicians, assistants, and workers, each of whom stopped to stare at Sara as she passed by. _I hope I'm not gonna have to deal with this for the rest of my life. I can't stand people staring at me. I can tolerate it for now. But, I don't know how long that will last._ Sara thought to herself.

Helena stopped in front of a large door with Sara's name on a board about eye level. Sara raised an eyebrow, but Helena didn't notice. She opened the door and entered in, with Sara following right behind. "Ok this is your dressing room. We'll send in wardrobe and makeup people in here eventually to prep you for the show. Your manager will be in a different one a few doors down." Helena informed.

"Alright…" Sara trailed off. It was a normal brick room, with a lit up mirror against one side and several racks of clothing against the other. A couch with a coffee table lay at the back of the dressing room.

"We'll send someone soon for you. But, for now, just sit back and relax," Helena added, before disappearing out of the room as quickly as they entered, leaving Sara alone.

Sara sat down at the desk, staring at herself in the mirror. Her piercing blue eyes stared back at her, although there was a sense of weariness in them. Her long blond hair hung loosely, but a few stray ends fluttered about, reminding her of the stress of her long and busy day. Ever since being revealed by Marian the night before, her life had become a non-stop rollercoaster. She wondered when, if ever, life would return to normalcy.

It was not five minutes later, when a succession of knocks sounded on the door. Sara turned quickly, surprised by the sudden interruption of her thoughts. "Come in," Sara announced.

A short girl, around the same age as Sara entered in. She had a wide-eyed look about you, staring at Sara. "You're S-Sara Meyer… The mermaid… I was told you'd be here.. But to actually see you… This is… Wow…" The girl stammered.

"Who are you exactly?" Sara questioned, somewhat skeptical.

"Oh! Sorry… So… Sorry, I should've explained that first. I'm… Lizzy…Lizzy Wright. I'm going to be your personal page and assistant while you're here at ABN! This is amazing! Can, I get you anything? Anything at all. Don't hesitate. I'd go to the moon and back if that's what you wish. Would you like water? A Coke? Coffee? You don't need seaweed… right?" Lizzy rambled. Sara could barely keep up with all that she was saying.

 _I mean, I don't really want or need a servant. But, she seems nice enough if not a bit too energetic_ Sara pondered. "Ummm… If you could just get me a black coffee and a glass of water with a straw, that would be awesome Lizzy," Sara stated.

Lizzy beamed. "I'm on it! I'll get that to you right away." And with that, she sprinted out of Sara's room.

Sara just groaned and shook her head. _First Laurie, and now Lizzy. The amount of people getting starstruck by me is only going to get worse from here. I just feel it. Luckily the VP lady treated me like someone normal-ish. But that's mostly because I'm gonna make her wallet fatter._ It was only a few minutes, and Lizzy returned, seemingly frazzled. She was obviously nervous, most likely intimidated by Sara. "I… got your coffee and water! Just as you wanted. Black coffee and a straw with the water too!" Lizzy stuttered.

"Thanks Lizzy. You can just put it down on the desk," Sara instructed, trying to sound genuine.

"Right away Ma'am!" Lizzy ambled quickly over, but her nervousness made her clumsy. The water was too full in her hand, and at her sudden stop, the top inch of water in the glass launched outward, landing all over Sara.

Sara stood up instantly. A feeling of adrenaline exploded in her. _Gotta get out of here! Wait…_ The adrenaline immediately turned to annoyance and apathy. This was the place for her. It didn't matter if she changed in front of Lizzy, because everyone already knew about her secret. _Not much of a secret anymore._

Sara rolled her eyes before sitting down on the floor as to not fall over. It didn't take long, and with a shimmering sound and flash, her tail appeared. Sara looked up at Lizzy, whose eyes were wide and mouth open in shock. "I...I...I… M-ms. Meyer…. I…. So.. Sorry. I didn't… I mean…" Lizzy stammered, unable to get the words out of her mouth.

Sara held up her hand to silence her. Lizzy shut her mouth promptly. "Lizzy, it would be really nice if you brought me a towel right now," She spoke sincerely.

Lizzy nodded quickly. "Ok. Towel. Got it," And she raced out of the room. Sara sighed, resting backward onto her elbows. _At least I don't have to hide myself anymore. So, that's one good thing about what has happened._ Sara chuckled to herself, trying to remain positive.

Lizzy returned in less than a minute, clean white towel in hand. "I found one!" She exclaimed, tossing the towel down to Sara. Sara began annoyingly rubbing herself down with the towel, attempting to dry herself off. "Wait…" Lizzy spoke, summoning up courage. Sara stopped and looked curiously up at Lizzy. "Do you mind if I take a picture of you like this? It would be really awesome."

Sara pondered for a moment. _Could it be really that bad? Just one picture_. "No." Sara stated flatly. The answer caught Lizzy off-guard, who didn't have a response ready, and instead stayed quiet, afraid to say anything. "Lizzy, do you know why I'm doing all of this? The press conference, this TV interview, the demonstrations, everything?" Sara asked politely.

"I… I'm not sure…" Lizzy stammered, still nervous.

"I want to show the world I'm more than just this," Sara gestured down to her tail. "I want people to understand my humanity. I'm not just a circus freak or a zoo animal. I'm a real person with thoughts, emotions, likes, dislikes, and personality. You don't know what it feels like for me lying on this floor right now. You don't know what it felt like when I was lying on the floor last night when I was revealed. I felt so helpless and afraid. I just can't have people use that to their own advantage. It would slowly degrade who I was as a person. I wish you were a mermaid so you could understand my pain. But, since that is impossible, I can only explain my feelings and hope you understand my humanity."

Lizzy stepped backward. She had never meant to offend or hurt Sara. Sara saw remorse in her eyes. Lizzy wasn't a bad person. She just didn't understand. Maybe that was the first step. "I'm so sorry Ms. Meyer. I… I think I get it now."

"Please, call me Sara," Sara spoke as she began drying herself off again. It didn't take long, and the last of the water was cleared from her. Her legs reappeared once again, and she stood up.

"That is so cool!" Lizzy exclaimed, a wide-eyed and eager look expressed on her face.

Sara smiled. "It really is, isn't it. Tell you what, give me your phone number, and I'll text you sometime. Then, we can actually have a chat instead of being in this more formal environment."

Lizzy beamed. "Oh that would be awesome!" Sara felt good inside, being able to make Lizzy's day like that. Maybe they would be friends, the first one outside of Team Mako in months. And to Sara, that made it so much more worth it.

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Some time later, Sara was getting fitted to be on the show. The head of wardrobe had given her a dazzling red dress to wear which seemed to fit Sara perfectly, as if it was specifically made for her. Then, in quickly came the hair and makeup team, taking time and effort to make sure Sara looked extremely beautiful for television. When they were done and left the room, Sara took a moment to relax. She knew that soon she would go out to national or even international broadcast. Sure, she had done the press conference and demonstrations earlier that day, but that was absolutely necessary. This, was something else entirely. It felt like something only celebrities did. And seeing how Laurie and Lizzy acted earlier that day showed how much of an actual famous person Sara had become.

Sara sauntered over to the long mirror positioned in her dressing room. Her breath caught when she saw herself. She was more beautiful than she ever thought possible. Her hair was kept in a long golden braid over one shoulder, with her makeup causing her to look mysterious, with highlights of gold in the shadow. She twirled once in the dress, admiring the way it hugged her body. _Ok… Maybe it's not so bad to dress up and look pretty from time to time. Besides, I'm so different from the shallow girls that do this like Marian..._

Thinking of Marian made Sara shudder. This was all her doing. It was the first time Sara had time to actually think about what had happened. _How did she find out about me? And what does she want? What could she hope to gain from revealing me._ Nothing came to Sara's mind. Her only guess was that Marian revealed her to get back at Katy for taking away Mitch. But that was at least a few months ago…

Sara's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door again. It was opened to reveal Helena, tablet still in hand, looking quite impatient. "Good. Hair, makeup, and wardrobe have all been through here. I'm going to take you to set right now. We'll run down what's going to happen and then we'll get to filming. Ready?" Helena spoke.

"Roger that," Sara responded, skipping over to Helena.

Helena nodded and guided Sara back through the winding maze of hallways. The two of them emptied into a large stage with a grand stand to the back, slowly filling with people. Cameras and technical equipment were strategically placed all over. Technicians scattered about, prepping the stage for the filming. "This is where it'll all take place," Helena stated, before leading Sara through to the backstage area where Denman was waiting.

"It's good to see you again," Denman smiled, patting Sara on the back.

"Likewise," Sara stated back quickly.

Helena quickly gave instructions to both Sara and Denman on when to enter, what to do, and how the cameras would be aligned. It was only a basic crash course, but it would suffice for the moment. "Alright, the filming will start in five!" Helena announced to the cast and crew, who scurried about, making sure everything was prepared exactly perfect for the shoot.

The two co-hosts, James and Ruth, stood out in front, ready to begin filming. Sara and Denman stood backstage, ready for their cues to come out. "Nervous?" Denman asked Sara.

"Not as much as before. I was definitely for the press conference earlier today, but now I'm feeling a lot better," Sara answered.

"Good. Now, it'll be easier. People are starting to love you. You just gotta keep being you, and everything will fall into place easily," Denman informed.

Sara was about to reply, but the lights began to dim. "Ok people, get to your places!" Helena shouted. "We are filming in 5…. 4….. 3…. 2…." Helena pointed at the hosts who began immediately.

"Welcome back to Australia tonight! I'm James Joyce."

"And I'm Ruth Bailey. Well, you may have heard the news from last night which has been indeed confirmed this morning. Mermaids are in fact real."

"That's right Ruth. Your childhood dreams might just be true after all after Sara Meyer, a seemingly normal teenager from America, now living in Australia, was revealed to be an actual living mermaid. Something that we only thought lived in fiction and fairy tales."

"Would you like to meet her?" Ruth asked to the audience. A roar sprang from the studio audience, cheering loudly. Sara forced herself to put away her smile for the moment. "Well, we would like to introduce to you our special guest, the mermaid herself: Sara Meyer!"

This was Sara's cue. She steeled herself, and walking as smoothly as possible, strut onto the stage. The blinding lights hit her instantaneously. She couldn't see the audience behind them, but she could hear them clapping clearly and loudly. Acting on instinct, she raised her hand and waved toward the audience and cameras as she continued her way to the couch opposite of the two co-hosts.

With all the grace and charm she had, she sat down on the couch, crossing one leg over the other, staring out into audience with a big smile on. When the applause died down, Sara moved her gaze over to the two hosts. "It's good to have you here Sara." Ruth spoke.

"Thank you Ruth. It's a pleasure to be here," Sara spoke calmly and confidently.

"How have you been dealing with the media firestorm over the past twenty-four hours?" James asked.

"It's been hectic to say the least. But, I'm still feeling great right now." Sara responded. "Even so, I felt it was time to talk about who I am and what I can do."

"Wonderful to hear. It must be difficult to live as the only mermaid in existence. How have you coped with it this long?" Ruth questioned.

Sara sighed. "Well, for a time it was lonely. I had no one to even talk to about my secret. Eventually I gained friends, and eventually my boyfriend, and I could at least talk about my gift with them. And, that made it so much better than feeling lonely."

"Your boyfriend, Farley is his name? He must be very lucky dating you as a mermaid."

"Well, he'd be lucky dating me even if I wasn't a mermaid," Sara quipped. It was a stupid joke, but the hosts and the audience laughed at it.

"Have you been living well here in Australia? I understand you recently moved here from America." Ruth asked.

"I definitely have enjoyed it. And not just because I became a mermaid here. Being from small-town America, thousands of kilometers from any ocean, there's really not much to do. My hometown had less than 2000 people. And the next actual city was close to two hundred kilometers away, and that city only had barely 250,000 people. Here, I feel like there's so much more to enjoy in my life and more people to be around. I definitely feel like living in Gold Coast has treated me so much better than if I stayed at home."

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The rest of the questions went by smoothly, and Sara rather enjoyed herself answering them on TV. Denman watched her in the wings, admiring Sara's charisma. "She's doing really good out there," Helena stated to Denman.

"You think so? I just want people to accept her for what she is. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens," Denman responded.

"Are you kidding? People are going to love her! And, she's gonna make all of us very rich in the process. She's a celebrity now. And that probably won't go away any time soon." Helena beamed.

 _At least my conscience will be clear after this from what I did all those years ago to Cleo, Rikki, and Emma._ Denman thought to herself. She looked out to Sara smiling and laughing just like she belonged on TV.

"Now, Sara, I understand you have brought someone important with you today," Ruth stated.

"Yes. I brought Dr. Linda Denman, my scientific advisor as well as one of my co-managers," Sara put in.

"Let's bring her out and see what she has to say," James announced. Sara watched as Denman stepped briskly out onto the stage, quickly waving to the audience. She seemed slightly uncomfortable about being on television.

Denman strode over and sat next to Sara on the couch, looking across at Ruth and James, trying to ignore the cameras as best as possible. "Hello, I am Dr. Linda Denman, marine biologist," Denman stated.

"It's so wonderful for you to be here," Ruth stated. "How did you two meet by chance?"

Sara floundered. That memory brought back the pain and anxiety she felt in Denman's net. But, she put it away. Denman stepped up right away when she saw the look on Sara's face. "It's actually an interesting story. We had cast the nets out on my research vessel. We were doing fish counts on the reefs off of the coast. Much to my surprise, and Sara's as well, she swam right into my nets by accident. Probably the most interesting catch I've ever had as a scientist."

Sara regained her composure and spoke up. "At first, it was one of the scariest moments of my life. When Zane and Farley found about my secret, they were at least people I was somewhat acquainted with. But, at the time I had no idea who Dr. Denman was. As well, I found out she was a researcher. I was certain she would do terrible experiments on me like a mad scientist. But, we talked about everything. She wanted to work with me to uncover what my abilities were, but still treat me like a regular person."

"I wanted to give her closure and understanding. At the time, Sara didn't know much about her condition, being the only mermaid in the world and everything. We agreed to work together, and we eventually became good friends in the process." Denman added.

"Wow, that sounds like a shocking turn of events. For both of you," James spoke.

"I'm glad the two of us were able to work through it," Sara spoke. "Through Dr. Denman, I want the public to understand who and what I am. Yeah, I'm a mermaid sure, I get it. But I'm also human. And the research I'm doing with Denman is so people get to see that."

"People are sure to love you," Ruth stated. "You're kind, caring, strong, and beautiful."

Sara beamed at the compliment. It felt as though everything was finally fitting into place. And twenty-four hours after she was revealed, people didn't seem to be scared of her. Her only fear was how to live life as a sudden celebrity. But, that would be ok for now.


	39. Chapter 38: End of the First Day

**Chapter 38: End of the First Day**

Three cars pulled swiftly out of the parking garage of the ABN building. Kept together in a line, they wound their way through the streets. Eventually, the three cars split up all in different directions. Sara saw them all breakaway from her view from the most plain looking vehicle in the convoy. She didn't want any followers or stalkers for where she was going next.

Her driver was Trevor, a balding man of sixty. He had driven many celebrities who came into ABN, so driving Sara around really wasn't much of a big deal for him. He kept good conversation, so Sara rather enjoyed having him drive her. Sara looked out at the setting sun. _This has been the most important yet stressful day in my entire life… Only time will tell if it was all worth it in the end._ Sara pondered to herself.

Soon, Trevor drove her through a more forested area before stopping off at a small enclave on the side of the road. "Are you sure this is it?" Trevor asked, looking around somewhat confused.

"Yes this is it Trevor. Thank you so much. I'll take it from here," Sara replied, gathering herself and stepping out of the car.

"Ok. Take care of yourself Ms. Meyer. Call me if you need a ride again," Trevor spoke. He put the car into drive and drove away, leaving Sara alone in the twilight, the sun just under the horizon line. She didn't waste time. Sara turned and quickly hiked her way through the trees, taking a more confusing and random path, but she knew where she was going. Soon, she came upon what she was looking for.

Mitch's boat house sat lonely on the side of the canal. Sara smiled when she saw it. It had turned into Team Mako's de facto headquarters on the mainland. And, being at least for the moment that it was too dangerous to go to Mako, they were all meeting here. Sara burst into the shed, tired yet undeterred. Katy, Mia, Blake, Farley, and Mitch were all there, and they turned to see her.

"You made it!" Katy yelled, nearly vaulting over the table to sprint to Sara. Sara wasn't prepared for it, exhausted from the day's events. Katy hit her broadside, knocking them both to the ground in a sprawling heap.

"Ugh! Katy! Get off me! Stop trying to tackle me! That's been the third time today already; Get it together!" Sara exclaimed, fighting her way to her feet.

By then, the rest of the team had gotten over to Sara and Katy, and they each took a turn greeting Sara when she got to her feet. "How was the TV shoot Ms. Celebrity?" Mia asked in a light-hearted tone.

"A lot of fun actually! I'm surprised it went so well. I was treated like any other celebrity that did an interview with them… God… even I'm calling myself a celebrity now. What could be worse?" Sara joked.

"Now don't forget about us poor normal people," Katy teased.

"I promise I won't," Sara encouraged, "Yet still, this whole celebrity thing has completely caught me off guard. I only wanted people not to hate me"

"You were literally an overnight sensation, more or less," Blake noted.

"True, but it's gonna take some time getting used to. At least at first. Trying to live a normal life is gonna be a bitch though..." Sara added.

"At least you get to be open about your mermaid abilities for now," Mia mentioned. "Katy, Farley, and I are basically in lockdown mode until we get this whole thing figured out."

"I know I know. There's nothing I can do about that," Sara spoke. "It all happened so fast. But, I promise I'll do everything to make this turn out for the better. And figuring out this 'thing' might take some time."

"We believe you," Katy affirmed. "Don't you ever doubt for a second that we don't have your back."

"What happened at the studio?" Mitch asked.

The six of them sat down, and Sara began relaying what happened to her after she left the Marine Park. The other five stayed glued to the story wondering what had all happened over the past hours. Sara hesitated a moment before talking about Lizzy. "I think she's a great person, albeit a bit innocent," Sara added about her at the end.

"And you got her phone number? What for?" Farley asked. "The last thing we need is someone normal, and seemingly… well, loud, involved in our business."

"I just feel like… I don't know. I don't really have any friends right now outside of Team Mako. "And befriending her, it just felt like it was something 'normal' that I could latch on to. You guys are really great, but it's also good to have friends outside the mermaid thing."

"It's been said before, but it's important to keep reminding you," Mia added, "But we're mermaids. Normal really isn't our thing, as much as we want to live a normal life, it's something we really just can't have."

"Either way, normal's just a word stupid people use to make them think like they belong in society," Farley joked.

"None of us are normal. Not even the ones here without a tail like Mitch and I," Blake put in. "Think about it. You three are mermaids. The three of us are dating you mermaids. Farley's also a merman. Mitch ran away from home. And I was almost killed by criminals. Normal isn't what any of us are good at."

"I suppose you're right. All of you," Sara agreed. "And yet, I like Lizzy. I want to actually be friends with her, regardless of whether it's only to be 'normal' or not."

"Do what you will Sara. Just make sure you don't compromise Farley, Mia, and I before we want to reveal ourselves," Katy spoke.

"You know I would never do that," Sara replied.

"I know. Just wanted to make sure it was said though."

The six of them relaxed for a moment, reliving good times over the past six months since Sara, Mia, and Katy became mermaids. They all could breathe a collective sigh of relief. For a moment, it appeared that all was going according to plan. Soon the time came for Sara's interview to be broadcast. Farley pulled out his laptop, tapping into the livestream. Sara gulped. This was the first time she was going to be watching herself, and she was incredibly worried.

Annoying filler started at first, with random advertisements. "Ugh. Why do they have to torture me? Just show me the interview already!" Sara joked.

"Patience my young padawan," Farley joked back. Sara playfully punched him in the arm in response.

"...come back to Australia Tonight! I'm James Joyce," broadcast through the laptop.

"It's on!" Katy exclaimed.

The six of them crowded around to see what would happen. They all held their breath in anticipation. Farley audibly gasped when he saw Sara walk out on stage in her dress. He bit his tongue to stifle the sound. She didn't usually wear too much makeup in her daily life. But, all prepared for going on television, she looked more beautiful than Farley had ever imagined. It almost compared to her coolness of being a mermaid. Almost.

Sara was blown away about how well she looked and behaved on television. The anxiety washed away when she saw herself on the screen. _It's almost like I was made for TV._ Sara joked to herself. _Then again, it's not like I wanted to be in a position to do it._

The broadcast was beginning to wrap up Sara's interview segment soon. The group continued to watch in growing excitement. "Sara, it's been a pleasure having you with us," Ruth put in.

"Thank you for having me," Sara spoke. She watched herself through the television give a brilliant smile to the crowd. Sara smirked at how well she seemed to be on TV.

"Now, before we end this, is there anything you want to say to the audience at home?" James asked.

Sara watched herself turn toward the camera. "I want to say thank you to everyone who's come to accept me after I've gone public. This whole thing was a shock to the world, and even to me. I understand the feeling people might feel about the total bombshell I might be. And, so far the response has been positive, and I want to thank everyone for that."

"Truly remarkable," Ruth added. "That'll be the end of our broadcast this evening. I'm Ruth Bailey with James Joyce signing off. Goodnight Australia." And with that, the camera panned up as Ruth and James waved beyond. The credits rolled upward, and in a final display, a commercial began airing, signifying the true end of the show.

The six of them slouched backward, exhausted. It had been a stressful day for all of them. For several moments, no one said a word. They were happy to bask in the silence for a time. "So…. What's next?" Mitch asked to no one in particular.

"What do you mean?" Farley replied, sitting up in his chair.

"Well, this is only the end of the first day that Sara's been public as a mermaid. How do we go from here? There was success today, I will admit. But… She's a celebrity now. That affects all of us. How long before they find out about you, Mia, and Katy? And then how will we all cope with this new found celebrity status? What will happen to us then when we go back to school in a few months?" Mitch rambled.

"Easy Mitch. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Blake responded. "We have to take this one day at a time. Let's celebrate today and go back at it tomorrow."

"Katy, you mentioned that you wanted to go public. Have you thought about how that would even work out?" Mitch questioned.

"Hey… Don't just push me into it… But yes I do. I just don't know when. The time needs to be right," Katy stammered.

"This is what I'm talking about. Nobody has anything planned out," Mitch explained.

"We can't possibly plan things out from here," Mia spoke, "We mostly have to improvise and hope for the best."

"I don't know how the future is going to go," Sara put forth, "But I'm going to enjoy the good moments while I can. Like this one. Don't know how much we'll be able to hang out together like this after today."

"The media will want to keep tabs on all of us, especially the tabloids," Farley relented, shaking his head. "Ugh… I'm not so sure about doing my interview either."

"Just do it. It won't be as bad as you think!" Blake encouraged.

"Yeah? And I'm also a merman. I'm gonna risk a lot by just doing interviews. How long before people start asking questions like if Sara is the only mer or not?" Farley snapped back, starting to feel a bit nervous.

"Ok, everyone let's relax," Katy spoke up. "We're not gonna do anything by being worried now. Let's just all go home and go to sleep. We've all had a busy and long day. Let's celebrate today. And tomorrow we can think about the future."

The five others nodded in succession, realizing she was right. There was nothing they could do by worrying themselves sick. The silence again came over them, as they all realized how tired they were. One by one, each of them left the boat house into the night, careful to avoid any would-be followers. At once, Farley, Mitch, and Sara were the only ones left.

Farley pulled Sara close, hugging her tightly. "We are gonna make it through this," he spoke.

"I know. I know. You're pretty awesome you know that?" Sara responded.

"Me? You're the awesome one. I saw you on TV. God you are such an amazing person and/or mermaid. I will say without a doubt I am one of the luckiest men on this planet," Farley spoke.

"You get to date the only mermaid. All other men will want to be you," Sara teased, touching her lips to his.

"Come on. I'm right here," Mitch complained at the PDA, and the two parted. "And I'm dating a mermaid too!"

"Goodbye Sara," Farley spoke, and left into the darkness. Sara sighed, feeling lonely again. She quickly called Trevor, and within minutes he appeared in his car, ready to pick her up. The whole way home Sara contemplated the future. She had done good that day, but so much of the future was unknown. When she arrived, she quickly went up to bed, happy to be there. Laying down, she ran her mind over the events of the day. She was happy with how she acted, yet still had an annoying nagging about how people would still treat her. Sara drifted off, wondering about the future. She slept for a long time, happy for the rest.

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It was a busy day in the Minneapolis airport. A tall woman with thick, long, and black hair squinted upward at the large display of departing flights. Her flight to Sydney displayed prominently at the top of the list, with only minutes until the boarding began. From there, she'd fly directly to Gold Coast where her future lay.

Everyone and their mother had heard the news about Sara Meyer, the first mermaid in existence. It was the biggest story of the year, and possibly the decade. This was the woman's break. Fresh out of journalism school, this was her time to get her foot in the door to become a major reporter. There was more to this mermaid than originally let on. Ms. Meyer's story was a little too convenient. She just so happened to become a mermaid? Just like that? No. The woman wasn't buying it.

She walked confidently and swiftly toward her gate. Now was her time to prove her worth as a journalist, maybe get fame and fortune on the side. She smirked as she thought about what she could do with all that fame. Maybe just maybe, she could find out the secret to becoming a mermaid. The thought of it made her shudder with excitement. Now, all she had to do was wait. _I'm coming for you Sara Meyer. And I won't take it easy like those washed up has-beens that call themselves journalists._


	40. Chapter 39: All the Luck in the World

**Thank you to all my readers who have been very patient with me as I attempt to get my story updated to the new format. I know I have been a bit slow on getting it up to speed, and I apologize for that. I promise I will get it running soon to where we left off.**

 **Chapter 39: All the Luck in the World**

Farley woke up to his phone ringing loudly in his ear. Groaning, he rolled over to find his cell phone, frantically reaching for it off to the side of his head. He was still exhausted from all that had happened with Sara, and he just wanted to rest. "Hello?" he spoke into the phone when he picked it up.

"Hello is Farley Davis there?" a familiar bubbly girl asked on the other line.

"Yeah this is him…" Farley yawned, trying to stay awake

"Well, this is Amber from Gentlemen Australia again, and I'm following up on our call yesterday. We just wanted to ask you again if you're interested in sitting down and doing the interview with us," She replied.

Farley rolled his eyes. He knew he was going to be pestered again. They were going to keep hounding him until he gave into an interview. He was dating THE mermaid after all. He really didn't have a choice _Might as well do it and get it over with._ "Yeah, fine, I'd like to do the interview," Farley affirmed. "I think it's something good to talk about."

"Fantastic! How does today at one o'clock sound?" She asked, still bubbly.

"Uh sure... That'll work," Farley responded skeptically. "It's a bit sudden."

"Excellent! We'll send a car to pick you up. See you then!" And then, she hung up on him, not even addressing how sudden it was.

Farley looked at his phone in confusion and immediate feelings of regret. This whole thing was over the top. _Why the hell am I doing this? I'm a goddamn merman, I can't reveal myself this easily. I mean… I guess I can do this one interview. How much harm could it do?_ Farley quickly dialed Sara's number. He needed to check up and see how she was doing going on day two. And, he had to make sure that his interview was the right thing to do. He hoped, at least, Sara would give him some amount of advice before he went into it.

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Sara was half asleep when Farley called, her phone buzzing loudly. She frantically scrambled for her phone, accidentally slapping it halfway across the room. _Shit shit!_ She thought as she pulled herself quickly out of bed and bounded once across the room to pick up her phone where it landed. "Hey!" she exclaimed when she put the phone to her ear.

"How's my lovely and beautiful mermaid girlfriend doing today?" Farley asked.

Sara merely rolled her eyes at the comment. "Doing quite dandy I'd say," she joked. "At least for now. I have no clue what diabolical plans Zane and Denman have for me today. And what am I supposed to do now? Live a normal life? Impossible. At least it's summertime and we don't have to go to school for a few months."

"I would call Zane then," Farley suggested. "You might think he has diabolical plans for you, but I think he wants the best for you, and wants you to be accepted. Either way, he'll have more info for you."

"Ok fine. I can do that." Sara grew silent for a moment. "How are you feeling?" She asked. "We haven't had a good chance to talk about everything that's going on."

"I'm doing alright. I accepted that interview for Gentleman Australia today. Not sure how it'll go down... But, I at least have to act like I'm a normal bloke," Farley responded. "Enough for this whole thing to blow over at least."

"You're normal enough. Even with the whole merman thing."

"Fair. Yet… Unlike Katy, I don't want to go public with my abilities. At all. Or at least for now. I've never wanted the spotlight, and being exposed would only worsen that for me. You remember what happened after I turned into a merman."

"Don't remind me," Sara shuddered, remembering how her moonstruck self tricked Farley into the moon pool. The memory was still fresh.

"Exactly. I know you didn't mean to. But, because it's been so soon, I don't want to go public. I want to at least get my footing going as a merman. I've only been one for like less than three weeks."

"You may not get the option to go public or not," Sara warned. "You have to be prepared if it happens."

"Aye. And if that happens, I will follow your lead in grace and humility," Farley swooned.

Sara smiled. "Careful, don't gas me up too much," she joked.

"What? Me? Never. You're the best person ever," Farley teased. "But seriously call Zane, he or Denman may have events planned for you today. All in pursuit of the celebrity life am I right?"

"Again, don't remind me… But, I might as well try to enjoy it. It's not gonna go away anytime soon," Sara relented.

"Unfortunately so, but we can just try to work together, all of us. Remember everyone is behind you," Farley stated.

"What did I do to deserve all my friends?" Sara joked.

"Well considering how great you are, you just were yourself and we all couldn't resist," Farley teased back.

"Thank you Farley, despite the ultra ego boost," Sara beamed, "I gotta hang up now. I'm gonna call Zane and see what all is going down today."

"Good luck Sara," Farley added.

Sara hung up the phone. _I'll need all the luck in the world._ She joked. Shaking her head and focusing again she dialed Zane's number. He picked it up on the second ring. "Hey mermaid girl, excited for day 2?" Zane asked, with a slight jest.

"About as much as I can be," Sara stated flatly, "Why? What wretched schemes have you cooked up for me?"

"Nothing spectacular."

"Oh geez. See you say that. But, I don't believe you for one second," Sara interrupted, slightly annoyed. "I know how devious you can be at times. Rikki's told me about all your misadventures."

"I'm being dead serious. You did a good job yesterday, and now I only have one thing for you today," Zane added.

"Ok, what is it?" Sara asked.

"It's a photoshoot," Zane spoke. Sara sat up in surprise, but didn't know what to say. "I received a call from a modeling agency and they want to take professional photos of you. They say they want some of you as a human and some of you as a mermaid. They want it is as part of a new collection. It's sure to get you a lot of good attention."

"Is this the price I pay for whoring out my looks and my abilities as a mermaid?" Sara questioned.

"I don't know Sara. I don't have the right answer for you. I only agreed to this for you because I thought it will show people your beauty as a mermaid so they don't have to fear you. If you don't want to this you don't have to," Zane relented.

Sara thought about it for a moment. "No. I'm all in on anything I can do. I want to do this. Being considered a model is better than being considered a monster."

"Mermaid words of wisdom?"

"Something like that," Sara joked.

"Ok, we'll send a driver out soon for you," Zane spoke. "Be ready."

Sara subconsciously moved out toward her window and looked out over the street. The glowing morning sun made the street brighten up. But, she saw two white vans, parked near her house, trying to hard to be inconspicuous. "Uh… I think some paparazzi are outside my house right now…" Sara trailed off.

"They probably want to catch you leaving your house and throw water on you. It's what they do," Zane added.

"That's not what I want though!" Sara exclaimed. "I've seen what those types of people can do to people's reputations… Wait… I have an idea!"

"What is going on?"

"Zane, hold off on that driver for now. I want him to pick me up somewhere else besides my house," Sara planned.

"What are you planning on doing? I don't like where this is going... "

"Oh, you know, just gonna go for a swim," Sara grinned.

"You can't be serious Sara! It's too dangerous!" Zane warned.

"Dangerous? My ass!" Sara proclaimed.

"Wait what? Don't try it."

"Catch ya on the flipside," Sara teased, and she immediately hung up the phone before Zane had a chance to respond. Sara scurried downstairs, eager to get a move on. She stopped at her back door. Sara peered out of the glass door, looking left and right. _They might have people in my bushes ready to take pictures of me if I left this way. Better make this quick._

Sara flung open the door, pounding down toward her family's small pier. She didn't know if someone was taking photos of her or not, but she didn't care. Within a few seconds she hit the last board of the pier and dove far out over the canal, splashing down deep into the waters.

In ten seconds, her tail appeared, and she smiled. She felt at home under the water. And this was her best way to escape the creeping paparazzi. _I'm swimming right now. Don't be alarmed or anything._ She sent to Mia, Katy, and Farley. _If I have to be open about being a mermaid, I'm not going to be ashamed of it._

With that declaration, Sara shot forward. She swung her massive tail muscle back and forth, feeling the joy of rocketing swiftly through the water. Sara had a plan in mind. After six months of navigating the canals underwater, she had a good idea of where she was going.

Sara emptied out into the marina, ending up on the far side, away from curious onlookers. Sure enough, tucked away at one of the farthest docking stations was the Redemption, bobbing up and down calmly in the tide. Sara stayed underwater, bracing herself against its hull, planning her next move. She pulled herself free, then with a massive tail stroke, broke free of the water's surface.

Now airborne, she twisted herself forward, just enough to move her body's momentum in order to land directly onto the deck of the Redemption. Sara skidded along a section of the floor upon landing. She winced as a small pain lashed her side, but she made it onto Denman's ship without too much notice.

Laura happened to round the corner from the bridge at that time, almost dropping her phone when she saw Sara suddenly appear on the deck. "Hey!" Sara announced cheekily.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Laura questioned. "And why are you in your tail now? And how did you even get here?"

"Oh don't ask so many questions," Sara joked. "But I swam here. Because I swam here. And, I swam here. There, those were the answers to all three of your questions."

"Oh… Well isn't it dangerous to swim now? You don't know who's placed cameras in the water," Laura warned.

"Ugh. You sound like both Zane and Denman. I'm fine! Besides, I'm already public. And I refuse to let some unknown fear of some asshole with a camera prevent me from swimming," Sara proclaimed. "It's more Mia, Katy, and Farley who have to worry about it."

Denman came out of the bridge then, instantly spotting Sara. "I thought I heard your voice, Sara. What brings you here?" she asked.

"Well, Zane set me up with a photoshoot today. He was gonna send a driver to my house, but I wanted to escape the paparazzi. So instead, I'm gonna have him send the driver here. Pretty cool trick huh?" Sara beamed.

"I guess so… But still, now that you're public, you have to be careful about your swimming. We don't know who might want to catch you, now that people know what you are," Denman explained.

Sara used her powers to collect all the water from herself, tossing it off onto the deck. Her legs returned in a shimmer, and she stood up to face Laura and Denman. "Like I said before, I'm not gonna let some fear prevent me from being myself," Sara spoke.

"Any news from your friends?" Laura asked.

"Not yet. But, Farley's doing his interview with Gentleman Australia today. He figured doing one interview wouldn't hurt him. Then, he can 'disappear' in a way with little speculation, and nobody is gonna suspect he's a merman. It's a plan in place for now," Sara explained.

"You seem to be more confident and optimistic today," Denman noted.

"Well…." Sara paused, "This whole thing isn't ideal at all. My life is fucked, but at least I can fight back. I'm just trying to make the best out of a rough situation. I can't control me being public now, so I might as well just be myself and go from there."

"I'm glad you've come to terms with your exposure."

"Oh I would've rather it not happen at all. And, I hate the girl that did it. But, there's nothing I can do about it now. So, in a way, yes I've come to terms with it. It's the new normal I have to deal with now. I have to get used to it."

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Blake and Mia sat next to each other on a secluded section of beach. So far they had avoided any unwanted attention from journalists. But even so, to get to their spot, they took a long and winding route to avoid any possible followers. The two of them stared out of over the open water, enjoying the silence.

Blake turned to Mia. "How are you coping with everything that's gone on?" he asked politely. "We haven't really had a chance to unwind and debrief with just the two of us."

"I don't know… I really want to support Sara with everything she's dealing with. But still, the closer I am to her, the higher likelihood I get revealed," Mia replied, unsure of herself.

"You do realize it may happen either way," Blake noted.

"I know that! Blake, I'm glad that you're here with me now, but you have no idea of the fear that Farley, Katy, and I are feeling right now. You don't have a tail, so nothing worse can happen to you than it can to the three of us."

"I'm with you no matter what Mia. And you're right, I can't possibly understand. I just want to be realistic. You may be exposed in the near future."

Mia put her face in her hands. "I know I know. I just don't want to think about it. I just wished that thing never happened to Sara."

"Do you hate her for it?"

"Not at all. From what it sounds like, it wasn't her fault. And we have to work together no matter what. We can't let the evil people win."

"That's the spirit!" Blake beamed.

Mia playfully punched Blake in the shoulder. "Oh whatever. I'll be fine. Even if I do get revealed. I can at least fix it on my terms. All four of us mers working together."

"What about the others? Like... Rikki, Bella, Cleo, and Elliot's sister?"

"They're out of the loop for now. Best to keep them like this. They haven't had this happen to them before, so they're no help to us. As long as they stay away, their secrets are most likely going to be safe. I hope." Mia grew silent, staring out over the ocean waters. The sunlight glittered off the blue pane, casting a glow across the beach. She sighed. "Oh, as much as I want to swim to Mako Island right now, it's impossible. Who knows what stupid divers are out there, trying to take a picture of what they believe to be Sara roaming the waters. And instead, they'll get a picture of me instead. Then boom, there goes the whole secret thing."

"True. At least for the near future. Gold Coast is gonna be crawling with those people for some time. They might even think there are more mermaids out there and are willing to do anything for proof."

Mia sighed. "I guess this is the new normal we have to deal with. We're all teenagers, barely sure of how the world works. Yet, we're forced into this position and having to make tough decisions we never should have to make. Not even you in your sheer optimism can figure out a way that our situation actually is amazing."

"Maybe you're right. Right now, a lot of things look bleak, we don't know what we're doing, and we're improvising everything right now. But… we have to have hope and faith that everything will turn out ok, no matter what."

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Sara waited impatiently on the Redemption for Zane's driver to arrive. She sat in Denman's office, annoyed and bored. Even so, there was a tiny bit of her happy to enjoy some amount of silence, even if it was met with extreme boredom. Denman was doing some work behind her desk. Elliot sat at his computer, scanning the stories people were running about Sara. He had somehow become her de-facto informant. Anything important people were saying about her on social media on the news was analyzed by him.

"Anything new?" Sara asked Elliot.

"Not really… Although, Gentleman Australia did put out a tweet that they're going to be interviewing Farley today. So that's a thing. The interview is supposed to release tomorrow morning sometime on youtube. I'm worried though. With Farley being a merman, people talking about him might get him exposed. But, it's something every one of us are going to face sometime," Elliot rambled. "And… I think people are less likely to suspect a merman exists. They are less prevalent in the zeitgeist of culture right now."

"I know… But, we also want people to think nothing is special about him, like merman special. He's great otherwise. I'm worried as well about Mia and Katy, don't get me wrong. But, people tend to be more interested in who's dating who rather than who's friends with who. That'll at least save them for now at least," Sara concluded.

"Maybe. But even so, I advise caution," Elliot added.

"Thank you wise master," Sara mocked. "Anyway, what are people saying about Farley so far?"

"Well a few people have called him a, quote, 'Lucky Bastard' for being able to date you. A lot of the blokes online are jealous of your relationship. Apparently dating a mermaid is the 'in thing' now I suppose," Elliot responded with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Well, not many will obviously get that opportunity. There are, at least to my knowledge, 1, 2, 3…. Seven, mermaids in existence. Me, Mia, Katy, your sister, Bella, Cleo, and Rikki. And, your sister has a boyfriend right?" Elliot nodded in response. "Ok, so all of us have boyfriends. So nobody new will get that opportunity to date us, unless of course one of us were to break up, but that's a whole different thing."

"What if there are more mermaids we don't know about?" Elliot asked.

"That's always possible. But come on, who else knows the secret to being a mermaid? Basically nobody," Sara added. "And, how it happens is an extremely rare happenstance."

"You still haven't told us how to do it," Denman spoke up.

"I know. Again, it's the whole 'the less people that know the better' kind of thing. I'm sorry Denman," Sara replied. "Maybe one day. But not today."

"Someday it may be necessary, but I suppose it will suffice for now," Denman grumbled, still discontent.

Sara was about to respond when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Zane. "I'm here with the driver parked next to the marina. Better get here quickly before people know you're here," it read.

"Ok. The driver's here. I'm off to my photoshoot," Sara spoke quickly. "Damn, that really does make me sound like a stuck-up bitch doesn't it."

"Oh it's fine," Denman spoke. "Go have fun and feel beautiful."

Sara nodded. She opened the door and snuck out of thee office. Carefully, she looked down the marina, but didn't see anyone in sight. Sara hurried down the gangplank and onto the wood of the dock. Careful to avoid contact with anyone, she walked briskly toward the edge of the marina where Zane was parked.

Nobody seemed to be around, but even so, Sara didn't want to take any chances and possibly be spotted. She would most likely be recognized almost immediately. So, she kept her head down and walked straight ahead.

When she left the marina and climbed up to street level, she spotted Zane's car, and he waved her over from the passenger seat. "Hey! It's Sara Meyer! The Mermaid!" someone shouted.

Sara turned left and saw a crowd of people walking toward her, phones being pulled out. In a moment, pictures were being taken of Sara left and right before she could react. _Shit!_ Sara turned quickly toward Zane's car, beginning to push her way through the flash of cameras and mass of people.

She was five steps away from Zane's car when a voice rang out over the crowd. "Hey mermaid girl! Catch!" Sara turned toward the voice only to get soaked by an arching stream of water tossed into the air.

Sara felt her blood boil as she stood still for a moment, soaking wet, the cameras still going. The people pressed in, wanting to see a transformation. Sara wouldn't allow it. Still with time to spare, Sara pushed her way assertively through the crowd until she finally reached Zane's car at the curb. With her last few seconds, she dove into the backseat, slamming the door behind her.

In an instant, her tail appeared in a shimmer, shoving itself tight up against the window. Zane spun from the passenger seat. "Sara! Are you alright?" he inquired quickly.

"Oh, just fine and dandy!" Sara joked. "I always wanted to see if a seven foot long mermaid could fit into the backseat of a normal sedan. Turns out today is my lucky day!" 

Zane smirked. "Well, being revealed sure hasn't made your snark and wit any less apparent."

"Thanks broseph," Sara rolled her eyes. "Let's just get out of here. I'm sick of this crowd."

"Roger that," Zane called back as he turned to face forward in his seat. Sara just sighed, waiting patiently for her body to dry as the car sped away toward her photoshoot.

"Where… exactly are we going?" Sara asked curiously.

"We're actually heading to the Marine Park," Zane informed.

"Again? We were just there yesterday… Shit, all of that was yesterday. Oh man, so much has happened," Sara moaned.

"Yes. And yes, a lot has happened since you were revealed. But anyway, back to it. The people running the photoshoot want to take some shots of an 'underwater scene' and the best thing we have without going out into the actual ocean is some of the more natural pools at the Marine Park. Luckily, the Marine Park administration went along with it. No doubt they're also getting a fat check for it as well."

"Well, at least there won't be too many of me being a beached whale," Sara chuckled.

"Of course not! You're not fat enough to be a whale," Zane joked dryly.

Sara reached up and punched Zane hard in the shoulder. "You know I used to be a very overweight child right?" Sara chastised.

"I… forgot that…" Zane stammered.

"Figures. You're a good manager Zane. Sometimes your humor needs a little work though," Sara added.

"Duly noted," Zane replied. "Rikki thinks the same way."

The rest of the car ride was mostly silent as they continued toward the Marine Park. Sara was somewhat skeptical, yet undoubtedly a bit excited.


	41. Chapter 40: Into the Limelight

**Chapter 40: Into The Limelight**

Farley stared out the front window of his house. The street seemed mostly empty, somewhat, but he knew that wasn't completely true. Two nondescript vans stood a house down from Sara, on opposite sides. Farley knew what they were. Journalists, paparazzi, photographers, reporters, and possibly others. Farley did not know, but yet did not care who they were. All he knew was that whoever was in the vans were ready in case Sara came out of her house. Most likely they wanted to douse her with water and film the chaos that ensued. _I wonder how much money they get per picture of Sara in her tail. Enough to sell their souls. No sane person could do that without remorse._ Farley contemplated. _Unless they've convinced themselves that Sara isn't human. Which is the worst case scenario._

It was surprise, then, when Sara messaged him telepathically not soon after telling him that she had already known about the vans, and instead swam all the way to Denman's boat in the marina. Farley was about to criticize her move, but Sara shooed it away, telling him that she wasn't going to be scared about being herself. Farley smiled to himself, admiring Sara's spunky and stubborn nature showing its head as it usually did.

Soon, as the day approached the afternoon, a lone car pulled into Farley's driveway. The driver got out. He was a small chubby man, but he had a jolly face on, like if Santa was clean-shaven and middle-aged. He had an official looking limousine driver outfit on. _Is this the man from Gentleman Australia?_ The driver knocked on the door three times. Farley cautiously approached the door and opened it partially, sticking his head out in the crack. "Can I help you?" Farley asked warily.

"I am looking for one Farley Davis. I'm supposed to pick him up and take him to the office of Gentleman Australia," The driver spoke with panache.

"Do you have any form of ID?" Farley questioned, increasingly skeptical. He wanted to trust the man, but with everything that had been happening, Farley didn't want to take any chances with frauds trying to take advantage of him.

The driver sighed and pulled a leather bound cover out of his back pocket and flipped it open. Inside was a very official looking ID card with his picture, name, seal, and everything. "Is everything squared away?" He asked, somewhat annoyed almost.

"Yes. I am Farley Davis," Farley spoke. "It's good to meet you."

"Excellent Mr. Davis. Right this way please." The driver turned about-face, walking back down the path toward his car. He didn't bother to glance over his shoulder to see if Farley was following. Farley merely shrugged and followed the driver. The driver stopped right at the back passenger door and opened it, gesturing Farley inside, who climbed into the back seat without a second word.

Farley looked out the window as the driver wordlessly drove down his street and toward the city. He didn't know what to expect for his interview. What was he supposed to answer anyway? Farley didn't have an answer. He only hoped he was doing the right thing and it wouldn't come back to bite him.

Sometime later, they arrived at their destination. Farley fidgeted in his seat as the driver pulled into a parking garage connected to a large office building in the middle of downtown. The dark interior made it all the more creepy, as Farley felt that his future was very uncertain. The driver pulled out into a stall right next to a set of double doors. An older man in a suit and glasses stood at the door, standing casually. "We are here," the driver stated.

"Uh… Thanks," Farley stated nonchalantly.

"Hey. Good luck out there," the driver added.

"I might need it," Farley joked, and he stepped out of the car.

The man in the suit immediately stepped up to meet Farley as soon as he had both feet on the ground. He placed out his hand and firmly grasped Farley's right hand in a strong handshake before Farley could even react in time. "Good to meet you. You must be Farley Davis right?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, that's me," Farley replied, slightly overwhelmed.

"I'm John Westin. Good to finally get you here," he spoke. "I'm the HR Manager and assistant to the CEO of Gentleman Australia."

"Good to meet you…" Farley trailed off, a little intimidated, feeling out of his league.

"It's good to meet you as well. Come, let's get you ready for your interview," Mr. Westin beckoned calmly, and he stepped back through the doors. Farley followed close behind, feeling slightly overwhelmed. _What have I gotten myself into?_ He questioned to himself.

"What, does this whole thing entail?" Farley asked as they continued walking through the hallways.

"We are going to just ask you some questions about what it's like dating a mermaid, how you got involved with her, what your life is like, and any advice you have to give our subscribers," John Westin explained.

"Oh… Is that it? No need to interrogate me on how it's like to have sex with a mermaid? Something your subscribers can try in real life?" Farley deadpanned, trying to break his anxiety with bad humor.

"Ha. You got jokes. I like it. But yes, that is the gist of what this interview is going to be. Shouldn't be anything too rigorous I believe. We are going to publish the video of the interview on both YouTube and our own website, as well as publishing the transcript later this month in our magazine release," John added.

"Sounds pretty routine then."

"Yes and No. Never before have we had someone dating a mermaid in our studio before. Not as easy to find questions to ask to interview you. But, even so, we're happy to have you here."

Farley shrugged. "I knew a lot of media outlets would want to talk to me about our relationship. I just thought I should get it over with and talk about it. Better than people wildly speculating who I am, what our relationship is like, or other questions. So, I might as well do a few interviews."

"I'm glad you chose to do it with us," John beamed. "We're expecting a huge wave of publicity from it."

"I'm happy I could help you get a lot of press off the back of my relationship," Farley deadpanned.

"You're going to get a lot of great publicity from this as well. Don't worry, this interview won't be bad at all." Farley was led by Mr. Westin to his dressing room. "We'll get you ready soon for your interview," John explained. "But for now, sit back and relax."

Farley stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He sat in the chair facing the mirror. He gazed deeply into his soft brown eyes. _I'm not ready for this. But, this is what I need to do. For myself, for Sara, and for everyone. It's time for me to do my part._

Eventually, workers came in, preparing him for being in front the camera. It was the first time anyone had put makeup on him before, and Farley felt a little awkward as the makeup artist patted his cheeks. They gave him a casual yet classy outfit and smoothed out his hair. Soon, Farley looked at himself in the mirror. His chin seemed more defined a strong, and he had a deep mystery to him. _Not that I'm going to complain about this part._ He joked to himself. _They actually made me look pretty cool and attractive._

Soon enough, Mr. Westin came into his room, tablet in hand. "Ready to go?" he asked of Farley.

"I think I am," Farley replied. "Might as well give the people what they want."

"That's the spirit! Ok. Let's get you to set so we can begin." Farley stood up and followed Mr. Westin out of the room. Soon, they entered a set of double doors. Pushing through, they came into a small room, smaller than Farley anticipated. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Too large cushioned chairs stood apart from each other, with a small end table in between them. A small bottle with whiskey stood on the table, two glasses to the side of that. Farley scowled at the small scene. Two cameras pointed at each chair from a cross angle.

"So… How is this going to go down?" Farley asked inquisitively.

"Our interviewer will come out, you'll both sit down and we'll film you both during the interview. It shouldn't be too difficult," Mr. Westin explained.

"What's with this whole decor though?"

"It's a nice touch don't you think?"

"I guess so. You do know that I'm too young to drink the whiskey right?"

"Oh of course. It's not for drinking. It's just for the decor. And the product placement for the whiskey company of course."

Farley chuckled at the oddity. He stepped up onto the stage, taking a seat on one of the large cushioned chairs. He casually eyed the whiskey bottle. _Hmm… Guten Bourbon. The Urban German bourbon. Ha, I guess as long as they get their advertisement money,_ Farley thought to himself.

Soon, another man stepped up onto the set, walking over toward Farley. He had neatly combed black hair, clean face, and seemed almost like a model. He was mid-twenties, and appeared confident and charismatic. "G'day Mr. Davis. I'm Adam Parding. I'll be your interviewer today," he introduced himself.

"Good to meet you Mr. Parding," Farley spoke, feeling the sense of anxiety and being overwhelmed creep up on him again.

"Alright, places people!" Mr. Westin announced. "We start shooting in two minutes."

People scrambled all over setting the boom microphone, setting up the cameras to the correct position and focus, and checking adjustments to both Farley and Adam's makeup and attire. "Hey, any advice before we start filming?" Farley asked Adam quietly.

"Just be yourself Farley. Act natural. Think that the camera doesn't exist out there. If you're anything like your girlfriend, you'll do great," Mr. Parding offered, before taking his seat. "It'll just be you and me. Think of it as an informal conversation between acquaintances."

Farley nodded, even though he was still a bit apprehensive. He gulped, then breathed slowly to calm his nerves. When he felt ready, he sat down in his chair across from Adam. _Here I go into the limelight. Whether I want to or not. This is for Sara._

"Alright, let's start in five, four three, two…" Mr. Westin spoke, before pointing up at Adam.

"Welcome to Gentleman Australia. I'm Adam Parding," he spoke. "Today, I have a special guest with me. Someone who might have some advice for our young men about life and dating. Especially since his girlfriend is the mermaid. May I introduce to you, Mr. Farley Davis."

Farley waved to the camera, trying to act as casual as he could with a camera pointed at him. "It's good to be here Adam," Farley spoke. "I hope to answer the questions as best as I can. I want people to be inspired by my life."

"And they should be very inspired. You are dating the mermaid, Sara Meyer, after all. A lot of men out there would love to have your life. Speaking of which, how did you and Ms. Meyer meet?" Adam asked.

"Six months ago, I moved into the house across the street from her. She waved at me and smiled the first time I saw her, and I had a huge crush on her after that, even before I knew she was a mermaid. I decided to approach her at school and introduce myself. We just, kind of hit it off from there," Farley answered.

"Since you didn't know about her mermaid abilities at first, when did you find out about her secret?" Adam asked.

Farley quickly remembered Sara's made up story from her previous press conference. "It was sometime after our first real date. We weren't officially a couple yet, but we were kind of a thing if that makes sense. We both definitely wanted to be in a relationship with each other, but it hadn't reached that point yet. Anyway, when I came over for one of our next dates, she wasn't quite ready and was finishing up in the bathroom. I just casually sat in her room and tapped my foot, hoping her father wouldn't come in and furiously intimidate me. I heard her fall to the ground in a large crash. I immediately rushed in, fearing something terrible had happened, that she had hurt herself or worse. And, that's when I saw her as a mermaid."

"What was your first reaction when you saw her like that? It must've been quite a shock."

"Without a doubt, I was completely stunned at first. I didn't expect it at all. That's not a usual thing that happens in life. When I saw her, I immediately fell backwards, almost fainting. But, she explained everything to me after this and we came to an understanding. My crush for her basically doubled from there. There wasn't any doubt after that. I knew I for sure wanted to date her." Farley smiled, he loved being able to talk about his relationship with Sara. Plus, it felt good to brag a little bit.

The other questions went smoothly for Farley. All he had to do was tell the truth, embellish a few stories, and it was a piece of cake. "Well, Farley, we only have a couple more questions to ask you," Adam spoke. "What's your favorite part about dating Ms. Meyer, taking away the mermaid part?"

"I would have to say her passion and tenacity. She's very motivated, strong-willed, and confident. And, I really respect that about her," Farley beamed. "I love her for that, more than anything. She honestly impresses me with everything she does. Just be prepared for her snarky comebacks though. Although, she is really funny with them. And that's not even speaking about her mermaid abilities"

"I love to hear that Farley. With Sara being a mermaid as she is, there must be more to what's going on. Do you have any special abilities as well, that you both share?" Adam asked.

Farley froze. He panicked, grasping for any answer he could find. He couldn't reveal now that he was a merman. "Me? No of course not. I'm just, painfully normal as it were," Farley chuckled, trying to keep it light. "No. Sara is the special one with the mermaid tail. She's the only one. I'm still surprised to this day that she wanted to date me."

Mr. Parding smiled. "Well, thank you for spending time with us today Farley. It's been a wonderful time being able to talk to you."

"Thanks for having me Adam," Farley announced.

Mr. Parding turned to the camera. "On behalf of myself and Gentleman Australia, we are proud to have Farley Davis here. Hopefully he's inspired you with his story about how a normal bloke was able to date a beautiful mermaid. And as always, stay classy."

"And Cut!" John Westin announced. "Well done both of you." He stepped up onto the stage.

Farley breathed a sigh of relief, slinking down in his chair, trying to breathe normally. The interview was fun, but it took a lot out of him. "What's next Mr. Westin?" he asked curiously.

"You're all done Farley. You did an amazing job. You did exactly what we needed you to do," Mr. Westin congratulated. "We'll have our driver take you home soon. But for now, relax."

Farley yawned. He was excited to be done with the interview. Maybe then, he would fade away into a sort of mini obscurity. He didn't want to be revealed, so he needed to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. He only hoped that that would actually come to pass.


	42. Chapter 41: The Model Mermaid

**Chapter 41: The Model Mermaid**

Sara's car pulled into the staff parking lot in the back of the Marine Park, the exact same lot she had gone to the day before, just before her "presentations". _Deja Vu right now,_ She chuckled to herself. Sara and Zane exited the car, with Sara wincing at the bright sun. "Good to go?" Zane asked.

"Yeah, mostly," Sara replied. "Might as well have some fun with this." And, the two of them walked up to the back gate. It wasn't but a moment when Laurie appeared on the other side, smiling as he saw Sara.

"Ms. Meyer! You're back!" Laurie exclaimed. "It's good to have you here." Laurie quickly unlocked the gate, letting the two of them into the park.

"G'Day Laurie," Zane stated. "What's been going on since yesterday?"

"You wouldn't believe the effect Ms. Meyer's demonstration yesterday had. Attendance at the Marine Park for both yesterday and today are off the charts! These have been the two biggest days in ticket sales for the park in over a decade! You really are something special Ms. Meyer," Laurie beamed.

"Well, being the only mermaid in existence certainly does have its effect on people," Sara shrugged. "I only do what I can."

"But still, the amount of young kids now who are interested in studying marine biology is increasing, especially young females. It's truly amazing. You're a newfound role model for young girls," Laurie put in.

"Huh. Because I'm a mermaid? I don't think that's something girls can actually look up to for marine biology," Sara mentioned. "I'm not a scientist."

"Doesn't really matter. You get them interested in the mysteries of the ocean, and then science will take it from there. Soon, we'll have a lot of fantastic women in Marine Biology just like Dr. Denman."

Sara felt Zane wince behind her at the mention of Denman. Sara didn't blame him after hearing about the history between Zane and Dr. Denman. Heck, if she was in Zane's shoes, she wouldn't trust Denman at all either. But still, Sara knew that both Denman and Zane were great allies for her. And the fact they could work together for Sara's sake despite what all had happened made it even better.

Laurie led the way winding through the hallways of the back part of the Marine Park. "So, our main natural and ocean simulation tank with coral, rock formations, sand, etc. will be ready soon for your modeling day. But first, we need to take you to meet the people running your photoshoot today. I'm only the liaison of the Marine Park today," Laurie explained. "So I've helped prep all areas you will be using."

"What are we doing today?" Sara questioned. "Do you have any idea beyond using the natural tank?"

"I really don't have an idea? I would ask them though. They know more about it then I do."

"But who are they?" Sara asked as they rounded a corner.

"Welcome back Ms. Meyer," A familiar voice spoke strongly. Sara looked up to see none other then Helena Montgomery standing in the next room, with a more timid looking Lizzy standing slightly behind. _What's going on here?_ Sara questioned.

"Good to see you again," Helena spoke confidently, stepping up to shake Sara's hand. Lizzy stayed back a few steps, seemingly shy.

"Uh… Likewise," Sara stated flatly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a Vice-President at ABN?"

"Oh I am. And, ABN also has a modeling agency attached to it. And, that is why I am here right now. Plus, the board think it wise that I be here rather than some random person who you don't know at all," Helena explained quickly. "They thought it would make you more comfortable, especially since, as I understand, you have no experience in modeling."

"Ok. So what's the plan here today?" Sara asked, trying to stay focused.

"Straight ahead with business. I like it," Helena stated. "Lizzy here will take you to your dressing room, and we'll get you ready with hair, makeup, wardrobe just like yesterday. Then we'll get some shots of you in your legs in a few different outfits. Then, you will turn into your mermaid self, and we'll take pictures of you on dry land. After that, we'll get you into the pool and you'll just do your normal swimming thing, and divers will take pictures of you underwater in a 'natural environment' so to speak, and that's about it. All you need to do is look beautiful and mermaid-like, and that should be easy for you."

"Right. Ok. Sounds like a plan," Sara added, turning to Lizzy. "Shall we go?"

"Y-yes! Of course! Right this way!" Lizzy stammered, turning about face and walking toward another hallway to lead Sara to her dressing room.

Sara sighed and followed right behind Lizzy. She kept looking back at Sara with a beaming smile on her face. Sara had to chuckle a bit. Even though this was the second time being with Sara, and probably not the last, Lizzy was still impressively starstruck.

A small unused storage room had been converted into Sara's dressing room. It looked gray and depressing though, even if it had the exact same setup Sara saw the previous day at ABN. "Well…. Here we are!" Lizzy exclaimed. "I just wanted to say, it's so awesome to be able to be working with you again. And... Thank you for giving me another chance to talk to me. You know I really thought about what you said about how you're doing everything like this to show people you're human, and I like totally understand, and I'm really sorry that I wanted to take advantage of you like some…"

"Lizzy," Sara stated quickly, breaking Lizzy out of her ramble. "It's all good, don't worry about it. You're a nice person, and I'm happy to have you here."

Lizzy looked up at Sara with a big smile. "Ok, cool," she spoke, starting to calm down for the first time. "I promise I'm not the total mess that you've seen so far. I'm just very excitable sometimes. And you're the first celebrity I've had the chance to meet."

"But you work for ABN? Shouldn't you meet other celebrities that come for interviews just like me?"

"I've barely been working at ABN for like three weeks. I just graduated high school, and my parents wanted me to get a functional job before heading off to University," Lizzy explained, shrugging. "Or something like that."

"Wait… you just graduated high school?"

"Yeah…?" Lizzy looked a bit skeptical.

"You're older than I am," Sara chuckled. "I'm only seventeen. I still have another year of school left."

"But… you're so cool and mature. How do you do it?"

Sara shrugged. "I guess I had to learn on the fly how to act mature. Six months ago, I had to move halfway across the world to a place I've never been, and within a week I get turned into a mermaid. And now, here I am, revealed to the world as the first mermaid ever. I never wanted to be so cool and mature, I just had to figure it out as I went along."

"Wow… You really are amazing," Lizzy spoke.

"You know something, you make me feel good about life sometimes. Your relentless optimism pushes me to be better. Maybe, that's why I like you Lizzy," Sara spoke.

Lizzy smiled at Sara. Sara returned it. For now, she felt like she had made a great friend. That made the day and future feel bright. This was how she could impact people, by being the friendly, funny, and inspiring person that she knew she could be.

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Within thirty minutes, Sara was back in the main room. She had makeup applied once again by impressive artists, and a few different outfits gathered for the shoot. She had to start out with a long beach dress, deep blue in color, matching her eyes. Now, she stood impatiently as workers arranged the set for the photoshoot. Helena barked orders at several of them, wanting them to hurry their pace. Lizzy stood directly next to Helena, taking quick glances at Sara every once in a while.

Sara went and sat down next to Zane who had gotten a chair a slight ways away from the chaos. "How do you feel?" he asked when Sara sat down.

"I'm actually kinda excited for this. Never thought I'd get to be a model before" Sara responded. "Thanks for setting me up with this."

"You did say earlier today that I was a fantastic manager. So, there you go," Zane smirked. "For all of our… other friends, I promised to do right by you. And that's what I'm going to do, no matter what."

Sara fell silent for a minute. "When does this whole thing end?" She asked, rubbing her temples. "How much longer must I endure this media firestorm? I feel like I've gone through nine chapters of my life, even though it hasn't even been a full two days since I was revealed."

Zane sighed. "I don't know. I wish I had all the answers for you, Sara. You've become an instant celebrity, and I doubt it's going away anytime soon. The reason we're doing this is so people love you. It's some way to soften the blow of your exposure."

Sara didn't respond. She didn't have a retort. Zane was right. She couldn't be exhausted. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it well, all else be damned. It didn't hurt, as well, to have a little fun along the way. She had never modeled for anything in her entire life. Now, some people wanted to turn her into such the model mermaid. She decided that she wasn't going to feel guilty about it.

Just then, Helena approached, a skinny man behind her, sporting an impressive man-bun, big glasses, and thick beard combo; the model hipster. "Ms. Meyer. Let me introduce you to Steven Phillips," Helena spoke, gesturing to the man beside her. "He will be your photographer today. And he's good at what he does."

"Don't brag for me, I'd rather let my skills speak for themselves," Steven touted, crossing his arms in a camp manner. Sara stood up to shake his hand. "Honored though to meet you Ms. Mermaid."

 _Ms. Mermaid? What?_ "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Phillips," Sara responded.

"Let me get a good look at you," he spoke, scratching his beard. He stared Sara up and down, thoughtfully analyzing her looks. Sara shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how best to stand or what to think of the shorter hipster looking man staring at her. "Can you turn slowly?" Steven asked. Sara spun around, trying best to seem model-like.

"What do you think?" Sara asked inquisitively.

"Hmmmm….." Steven pondered. "Athletic build, tall, great complexion. Bright blue eyes and golden hair. We have a lot of good to work with. Midwestern American features from combined Germanic and Scandinavian heritage. I'm guessing you've never done modeling work though?"

"Yeah… Never had the opportunity before," Sara responded.

"Well Mermaid girl, you have the right stuff for it. A new career may be in your future. But enough talk! Let us begin!" Before Sara could retort, Steven stepped away, strutting toward the set.

Sara looked to Helena with a questioning look on her face. Helena picked up her thoughts. "Mr. Phillips might seem very over-the-top, eccentric, and unorthodox, but he's one of the best modeling photographers in the Brisbane-Gold Coast area," Helena informed her.

Sara just shrugged and walked back over to the set. A green screen had been draped over the background. "Is this what I'm going to be standing in front of?" Sara asked, somewhat confused.

"But of course! Don't be ridiculous," Mr. Phillips chastised. "Having a green screen is the best way for us to get a variety of different backgrounds! Ugh… Ok, I know you don't have much modeling experience, so I will cut you some slack."

Sara stood in front of the screen, turning back toward Mr. Phillips who was grabbing his camera. "So, are we starting?" she asked.

"By the grace of Cthulhu, yes we are," Steven spoke unironically. Sara only shrugged and rolled her eyes. Over the next half hour, Mr. Phillips put Sara in a variety of different poses, ranging from smiling, to scowling serious looks. She was sitting, standing, lying down, and whatever he asked of her. Despite Mr. Phillips' odd nature, Sara had to admit she was having fun. Soon, she changed from her blue dress into a few sundresses, bikinis, and other swimsuits, getting a different look each time.

Soon, Mr. Phillips adjusted his camera and grabbed a sheet of paper off of his stand. "At ease Sara, rest for a moment," he spoke. Sara breathed out and relaxed. She was happy to have a moment of break. Steven adjusted his glasses, scowling at the sheet in front of him. "Well, now you get to live up to your namesake, Ms. Mermaid as now we will need to do some dry land shots of you as a mermaid."

"Well, here comes the beached whale moment," Sara joked.

A worker came in with a clear plastic apparatus, which curved upward toward the back with a smooth groove designed for something to lay. "We'll need you to place your tail into that groove as you lie on your stomach," Mr. Phillips explained, "It will flip your tail behind you, getting a clean shot of both you and your tail from the front."

Mr. Phillips snapped his finger backward. Lizzy shot up. Apparently that was her cue. She rushed backward toward the refreshments table, grabbing a cup of water from off of it, and quickly hurrying to return. _Oh boy, I bet I know what that's for!_ Sara joked to herself.

Lizzy walked briskly back to set, but she wasn't paying attention to the water in the glass, the top of it began to shake about, splashing water onto the floor. When Lizzy stopped abruptly alongside Helena, the momentum carried the water forward, splashing along down Helena's arm who helped in surprise. "Lizzy! What the hell are you doing?" Helena accused.

"I...I.. I'm s-so sorry Ms. Montgomery. I… Well… It was an accident," Lizzy spoke, "I didn't mean…"

Helena cut her off. "How could you be so reckless? Why do I even have you here? You're basically useless. It's a wonder I don't fire you."

Lizzy was close to tears at Helena's barrage. Sara couldn't just sit back and watch. "Hey!" she exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. Helena scowled at her. Sara focused, undeterred. She walked over toward the two of them. "Come on Helena, give her a break. It was obviously an accident. And, you know Lizzy. She's fiercely loyal and a hard worker. Don't just treat her like she's worthless."

Everyone held their breath. A seventeen year old girl had just defied one of the most powerful VP's in Australian media. Even Zane was taken aback. But this wasn't any girl. This was Sara Meyer, the mermaid, with powers they could only dream of. Helena stared her up and down for a minute. "Ok, Ms. Meyer. Since you seem to be good friends with Ms. Wright here, I will let it go for now. But don't think you can get away with calling me out in the future. You have to know your place as well. But for now, I will allow this to slide," Helena spoke confidently.

"Duly noted," Sara spoke flatly, returning the level of confidence, before returning over to the set, lying down on her stomach. "Lizzy, if you please."

"Yes Ms. Meyer," She stated, walking slower and more controlled with the water to where Sara had laid down. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just pour a little out onto my leg, and then stand back and watch. I'm sure you know what will happen next," Sara replied, smiling up at Lizzy. "And, come on, we're friends now. Call me Sara."

"Right away, Sara," Lizzy replied, smiling back. She then drizzled the glass of water over Sara's leg before jumping back. Then, in ten seconds Sara's tail appeared in a shimmer, just as it always had, replacing her legs. Sara looked outwardly gaging the feeling in the room. Mr. Phillips looked in awe at her tail. Helena and Zane both had very stern and serious looks on their faces. Sara looked to Lizzy who was beaming from ear to ear. Various other workers looked on in complete shock at seeing her.

"Everyone get their good looks in?" Sara asked sarcastically to the gathering of people. She shimmied herself toward the plastic apparatus, trying to fit her tail backwards into the groove. "Lizzy, will you help me situate my tail?"

"Of course!" Lizzy exclaimed before hesitantly placing a hand on Sara's tail. "It's kinda slimy."

"Gross right?" Sara joked.

"I didn't mean… I'm sorry… I…" Lizzy cleared her throat. "Let me help." Lizzy stepped up, more courageously, grabbing Sara's fin and lifting it into place. "How does that feel?"

"Good to me," Sara spoke. "See what you can do when you be confident instead of apologetic."

"I guess you're just a good person to learn from," Lizzy replied.

"Alright, places please," Mr. Phillips spoke up loudly. "I'm done gawking, and now I'm ready to work."

And once again, the camera flashed. Sara smiled, did the poses, and everything that Mr. Phillips asked of her. This time she had Lizzy right by her. If she ever needed to take a new position, Lizzy stepped in and helped maneuver her tail to a good spot so Mr. Phillips could take more shots.

Soon, Mr. Phillips walked away from the set suddenly. "We are all done with this one, let us commune out at the pool deck in thirty so we can set up the underwater shots," He spoke without looking back.

"How does someone work with him without getting exhausted?" Sara asked to the open air, dropping down until her tail was lying flat on the floor.

Lizzy had stepped up and was ready for Sara, and she tossed a towel down to her so she could dry herself. "I wish I knew. You're usually the one who is able to do all this. I have that overwhelmed feeling as well."

Sara quickly dried herself. Now would be the fun part. She hated being on dry land in her tail. It made her seem weak, powerless, and helpless. She viscerally despised that feeling.

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A half hour later, Sara stood on the pool deck of the large natural pool in the Marine Park. She looked down into the waters. Workers in Scuba gear were prepping waterproof lights and speakers below her in order to better light the shoot as well as provide instructions to Sara through the speakers.

Zane stepped up behind her. "You're doing good so far," he spoke. "I also liked how you defended that Lizzy girl."

"I did what I had to do," Sara stated. "She's a good person. A little bit unfocused, but otherwise she's nice and loyal. What more could you ask of a friend?"

"Can the same be said about Mia and Katy?" Zane questioned.

"I can make new friends you know Zane. I love Mia and Katy. We have a bond no one can ever break. Doesn't mean I want to look for something different every now and again. Lizzy is my way of having a somewhat normal friendship."

"Sara, you're a mermaid. Normal isn't really something you do very well," Zane informed.

"Maybe so. But still, I want to be friends with Lizzy no matter what."

Just then, Helena walked up, placing a hand on Sara's shoulder. "You ready to go?" Helena asked.

"Let's do this!" Sara exclaimed. A tinge of sarcasm brushed her statement, more to Sara's catharsis than anything else.

"Right. We'll give you instructions over the speaker underneath the water. Whenever you want, dive on in."

Sara readied herself. This was so much easier and more amazing than being on dry land. So, she dove in. Within ten seconds, her tail appeared and she maneuvered into position. "Sara, do you read me?" Mr. Phillips' voice announced under the water. Sara gave a thumbs up, smiling as she felt the rush of endorphins of being in the water. "Bueno! Let's do this!"

Again, Sara was back to her modeling. This time she enjoyed showing off in her tail. She was relayed instruction by Steven and she changed positions every now and again all over the pool to find the right angle for the underwater photographers. It was a lot of work, but Sara found joy in it.

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Some time later, Sara collapsed in the back of Zane's car exhausted. It had been a harsh day for her once again. Zane pulled into the front seat once again, and they were off to home for Sara. "So what did you think of that modeling gig?" Zane asked. "I must be a great manager being able to get that for you."

"Careful you don't dislocate your shoulder patting yourself on the back that hard," Sara joked. "But, then again, I did enjoy it. It was a good time. Never thought I would be considered a model before. Thank you for getting me this Zane."

"No problem. Again, if you get worshipped as a celebrity, although not ideal, it is better than hatred and anger," Zane added.

"I'll say we've done good these two days wouldn't you say?"

"Best as we could possibly have done. And, it seems to be working for now. But, we just have to hold on and see if it sticks."

"That's the best we can hope for," Sara added. She didn't know where the future would go from there. But, it was the best she could muster.


	43. Chapter 42: A Mysterious Letter

**So finally, I have returned to the previous point in the story. It has been a few months, I know, but school and life got hectic and busy very quickly. I want to thank all my loyal readers who are still staying beside me. And thus, the plot thickens with this one. I hope you like it!**

 **Chapter 42: A Mysterious Letter**

Sara ambled downstairs into her kitchen. It was the morning after her modeling job and Farley's interview, and the third day since her reveal. She had to admit, she was feeling exhausted and worn out, despite how little time it had been. Luckily, Zane informed her that he had no dastardly schemes for her that day, so at least she got a small break. Maybe, she'd actually be able to hang out with Mia and Katy. She knew that it would be impossible for them to swim together, just as they used to only less than a week ago. Her reveal made that dangerous for Mia and Katy, as being close to her might reveal them.

She walked to the counter to see a note from her parents. "Sara. We went on a few errands into the city. Stay out of sight as best as you can. Photographers are sure to be nearby. We love you and we'll be home soon," Sara read aloud. _Great. I'm stuck here alone for the day I guess. Can't go walking around outside. Somebody for sure will want to splash me. Everybody wants a pic of the mermaid, but not of me. I hope one day to be considered more than just my tail._

Sara sat down at the table with a glass of water, unsure of how best to spend her day. Before, during summers long gone, she would usually spend time with Jenny or go to the lake just outside of Gibbon. Both of those weren't really options at the moment. And, Sara couldn't even do anything out in public. She would be immediately mobbed by throngs of fans, journalists, and the like. And someone would definitely want to throw water on her, get a perfect photo opportunity of her in her tail. No, Sara had to stay home, at least for now. _I could swim to the Redemption and at least be around people. That's an option. Oh, I wish things would go back to normal so I could hang out with Team Mako with no problem._

It took a moment for Sara to realize that she was casually raising the water in the glass above the table, without even thinking about it. _I've got to be careful with that. Don't want people to know what I can do._ Sara carefully lowered the water back into the cup without spilling any of it onto the table.

Sara noticed something on the counter she didn't see at first. It was an envelope sitting out, seemingly unopened. Sara stood up and walked over to it only to see that it was addressed to her in neatly written penmanship. It was even skeptical seeing that there was no return address. The only thing was that the ink over the stamp stated it was from somewhere in Los Angeles. _What is this?_ She questioned. _Could this be poison? Or… Is this just like my first fan letter?_

Quickly, and hoping for nothing terrible, Sara tore into the envelope, revealing a neatly typed letter:

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 _Dear Sara Meyer,_

 _I understand that right now you are going through a difficult time. Being publicly revealed as a mermaid must have been the hardest thing you've had to deal with in your entire life. Feeling like you're the only one in existence might make you feel lonely and unsure of the future._

 _But you do not need to feel alone or scared. We are people like you, but as of now we are in secret. We need each other, more than you may realize. We must stick together, no matter what. On the sun-drenched coast of California you will find the three of us at the Lost Beach. We hope to meet you soon Sara. We are all depending on you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _AMK_

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Sara sat back quickly in her chair confused about what she had just read. A bead of nervous sweat trickled down her back. This changed everything she thought she knew. _Who in the hell are these people? And what do they want with me? Are they mermaids? There are way too many unanswered questions._ _I need to talk to the others about this. They need to know about this letter._

Sara quickly dashed to her phone and picked it up. In an instant, she messaged the others on Team Mako: Mia, Katy, Blake, Farley, and Mitch. "Hey guys, there's something important I need to talk to you about. It's hard to explain over text, but I promise, it's important. Let's all meet at Mitch's boat house and talk," Sara texted. She sat back on her bed, still confused about the nature of the letter. _I need to get some fresh perspective on it._

Sara snuck downstairs and slowly slid out her back door. Crouching near the small bushes, she surveyed the area. No journalists were in sight, at least from what she saw. She sprinted forward, and within a few long strides, she hit the pier and launched herself forward, diving into the warm canal water, and sliding quickly beneath the surface. After ten seconds of waiting, her tail appeared once again.

Sara didn't waste any time. She sprung forward quickly, heading through the canals. Luckily for all of them, Mitch's boat house stood lonely at the end of an abandoned canal. It made it all easier for Sara to stay hidden. Soon, she made it directly under Mitch's small dock. Considering her options for getting into the boat house from the water, Sara went with the easiest one she could think of.

Preparing herself, Sara launched herself upward, clearing the surface of the water. Sara angled herself forward and landed downward hard onto Mitch's dock. Sara sputtered for a moment, trying to regain her breath. The loud thump of Sara hitting the dock alerted Mitch, who burst out of the shed with a wide-eyed look of shock on his face. The shock turned to a look of apathy as Mitch noticed Sara lying on his dock, coughing and sputtering, trying to regain her composure. "You… uh… doing alright there Sara?" Mitch asked, trying to be serious and contain his laughter.

"Never better!" Sara snapped, "Although, I would really appreciate it if you dragged me inside."

Mitch sighed. "Alright, come on." Sara reached upward, and Mitch grabbed her hand and pulled hard, towing her across the deck and into the boat house. Sara winced at the friction of her tail dragging across the wood. Just before he closed the door, Sara used her powers to collect all the water off her body and tossed it out into the canal outside. Her legs returned immediately.

"There we are," Sara beamed, hopping to her feet.

"So… What's going on?" Mitch asked. "Why couldn't it be something you just texted us? I know you miss Mia and Katy, but you don't have to resort to secrecy for us all to hang out together."

"This is something big, Mitch. Something that I didn't want to risk anyone finding out about. Let's just wait for the other to get here," Sara warned. Mitch only shrugged and sat down on his couch.

Soon, the rest of the team trickled in, one at a time to avoid suspicion. Last to arrive was Farley who entered quickly into the shed. "I was so paranoid someone was following me, I walked in circles for a while to lose any possible followers before I came here," he explained.

The rest of them sat down, with Sara remaining standing above them. "Ok Sara, we're here," Mia stated. "Why all the secrecy and mystery?" 

"It's because of this," Sara spoke, pulling out the letter from her pocket. "This is a mysterious letter I got today. No return address available except for coming from somewhere in Los Angeles."

"Aww… That's cute! You got your first fan mail!" Katy exclaimed. "I'm actually kinda jealous."

"No… It's not… well it might be fanmail… Anyway, it might have much bigger implications than just 'fanmail,'" Sara explained.

"Well, just tell us already! What's it say?" Mia questioned.

Sara quickly read through the entirety of the letter quickly aloud for the rest of them. They all listened intently to the message, although one by one their looks of excitement turned to confusion mixed with dread as Sara finished the last of it. For a moment, no one said anything and silence filled the boat shed, the possible implications of the letter settling over all of them.

"What the hell was that?" Blake burst. "Is this real?"

"I just got this today. I don't know if the person writing this is being serious or just pulling a prank," Sara responded.

"But if it's real…." Katy trailed off.

"... then that means there are three more mermaids somewhere in the world." Farley finished.

"Well, ok let's think about this for a minute. They obviously want me to find them. Why else would they write the letter. So... Who could they be?" Sara speculated.

"Mermaids obviously," Mia joked.

"Not helping, but point taken," Sara added. "But still, we know they're in California somewhere near Los Angeles."

"And what's this lost beach?" Katy wondered.

"It could be the location of another moon pool?" Sara suggested.

"If so, that would be three moon pools then. Ours here which changed the four of us, Cleo, Rikki, and Elliot's sister. The one in Ireland where Bella changed, and now this one in California," Mia added.

"But that brings the total mers up to eleven I think. Heck, and that's only the ones we know about, assuming that all three of these mermaids exist," Farley pondered. "What happens if the public finds out that there's a whole bunch of us and not just Sara?"

"I don't know. But I need to find out who these girls are ASAP. They're obviously not public yet, so I want to prepare them for if that happens," Sara spoke, determined.

"But they're all the way in California. And we're here in Gold Coast," Blake added. "How do you suppose you get there to find them? And even if you get to the city, Los Angeles is the 2nd biggest city in the States. And it's like… trying to find three mermaids in the middle of the ocean. And yes that is both figurative and literal"

"And another thing, why did they sign it as AMK? Is that some secret code?" Mia questioned.

"I have no clue. Could be. Could also be someone's initials," Sara added. "Or at the very least we know they're three of them. It could be the initials of the three girls names."

"Who in their right mind would put their own initials on a letter revealing themselves to be a mermaid as a secret letter to Sara?" Mitch asked sarcastically. "Even if it is only their first initial."

"Someone who wants Sara to find them," Farley spoke up. "It's clearly obvious that whoever wrote this wants to actually meet Sara. Otherwise they wouldn't of bothered writing the letter in the first place."

"And they feel like they can trust Sara," Katy added. "She's a mermaid, like them, so they think they could trust her with their secret. They probably thought they were the only ones until Sara's reveal."

"This is all a bit heavy guys. We've become amateur detectives, but there's no way this story is a crime drama," Sara joked.

"Well, what do we do from here? How do we go about finding them?" Mia asked.

"I really don't know. Hope for another letter revealing more information? Going to California really isn't an option right now," Sara added. "Either way, I hope they know the gravity of their situation. Being a mermaid is no simple task, especially if they get revealed."

Silence filled the boat house. They all pondered what the letter meant. They needed to find some way to reach out to these potentially new mermaids in California, one way or the other.

The silence was broken by Farley's phone which rang loudly, signifying someone was calling him. Farley casually picked it up. "Hello?" he asked. He fell silent for a moment, a scowl developing in his face. Sara casually watched on. Farley sometimes had the stoic look about him. It made him look serious, intense, and powerful, all things she loved about him. After a minute, he hung up the phone and stood up. "I regret to inform all of you that I must go," he spoke. "My father needs me back at home." And without another word, he quickly exited the boat house.

"Is he doing ok?" Blake asked Sara. "He seemed really serious right then, like that call was really important. I know when I see that determined look about him."

"I don't know… I've just been so caught up in my stuff I haven't had too much time to talk to Farley about what he's been going through," Sara replied.

"We've all been pretty serious about life lately, too be fair," Mia spoke up. "And Farley is a mer too, and the closest one to you, Sara. He's probably dealing with some stress and anxiety about being revealed. I feel it too."

"God, I wish this would just go away," Sara moaned, massaging her temples. "And it's only been three god damn days since I was revealed. And, there's been no rest since then. Zane had nothing for me to do today, yeah, but then this goddamn letter showed up!"

"Don't worry Sara. We'll get through this!" Katy encouraged.

"Thank you Katy. I really…" Sara was interrupted by her own phone ringing. She raised an eyebrow when she saw it was Lizzy calling her out of the blue. "Excuse me. I need to take this." Sara picked up the phone.

"Sara! Good you picked up! Oh my god, I just saw something… And, well it could be nothing… But, it might not be! It could be really bad!" Lizzy rambled.

"Lizzy, calm down. What's going on? What's got you so worried?" Sara asked.

Lizzy calmed for a moment. "Ok. I just saw a video online. I may be paranoid about it. That's definitely possible. But it could change everything you're going through right now, and not for the better…"

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It was Ms. Meyer's third day since going public. The public was beginning to love her. They were pathetically ignorant. There was so much more going on behind the scenes than anyone else could predict. And, she was going to get to the bottom of it, no matter what.

The black-haired woman sat on her bed in a nicely furnished hotel in Gold Coast. Usually holding tourists and surfers, this was her base of operations for her journalist work. Papers scattered about across her bed, and her laptop was open to the newly released interview Farley Davis did with Gentleman Australia about his relationship with Sara Meyer.

It was mostly filler material, with a lot of boring questions like how they met, when did Farley first find out about Sara, etc. Basic nonsense designed just to squeeze all the money out of advertisers. The woman merely rolled her eyes through most of it, as it was too mushy for her. It made her gag. But, toward the end, something caught her eye. "Do you have any special abilities like her?" the interviewer asked of Farley.

The woman looked on the screen at Farley's facial expression. Immediately after the question was asked, he tensed up. It was extremely noticeable. There was a wide-eyed look of shock and nervousness that flashed blatantly across his face. Again and again, she rewound the footage, but there was no other time that he did that same expression, only when the interviewer asked he had abilities like Sara. _That can't be._ She thought. _Unless… There may be an explanation… I just have to hope that my hunch is correct._

She pulled out her cellphone. She had been smart. She had used the internet and a few sources to find the phone numbers of both Sara Meyer and Farley Davis. She quickly dialed Farley Davis' number. _The truth is so much closer now._

"Hello?" A voice asked from the other line. The woman immediately knew it was from Farley Davis. The voice matched perfectly to his interview.

She stated ominously. "Mr. Farley Davis… I know you are a merman."

 **And now we got the story picking up speed again! It's only gonna get good from you. Please make sure to review what you loved about this chapter. I'm starting to write again to so I'm still chugging away at the story.**


	44. Chapter 43: Getting Worse

**I want to thank all of my readers, as my story has now reached 10,000 views! You all are awesome and I'm proud to write this story for all of you.**

 **Chapter 43: Getting Worse**

Sara paced impatiently on the deck of the Redemption. After Lizzy's rambling phone call, she didn't explain exactly what got her so worried. Lizzy said she wanted to meet somewhere safe and secure to show Sara something important. Sara suggested the Redemption as a good meeting place, but she was still skeptical. It seemed like a shoddy attempt by Lizzy to hang out with Sara. Sara didn't think Lizzy needed to go through all that. Sara would've hung out with her no matter what.

"You seem really worried," Elliot noted. "I don't know this friend of yours, but from what you said it sounds like it won't be that big of a deal. But then again, we can't take any chances with anything. " Elliot sat down on a chair next to Sara. He was the only one on the boat at the time. Denman was at the Marine Park finishing up her actual research with Laurie, and Laura was shopping in the city.

"Maybe not… She's very enthusiastic and upbeat, albeit a bit ditzy. I've only known her for a few days, so I don't know if she's blowing this out of proportion or being accurate and this is actually something bad. Hell, I don't even know what this is! She never even bothered to tell me what's going on."

"What do you think it could be?" Elliot pondered.

"Well… She mentioned she saw an online video, and it could 'change everything'… I know that sounds weird, but that's literally all that she told me. She wouldn't say anything beyond that," Sara stated.

"Guess we'll just have to wait until she shows up," Elliot figured.

Sara began pacing once more. For another five minutes, Sara continued in silence, with Elliot on his cell phone passing the time. Then, a sound of quick footsteps came down on the deck below. It seemed like whoever was out there was running straight for the Redemption. Sara peered over the side of the boat to see Lizzy jogging up toward her, laptop clutched securely in her hands. Lizzy waved when she saw Sara, increasing her pace until she made it up the gangplank and onto the deck of the Redemption.

"I made it Sara!" Lizzy exclaimed. "This is a nice boat. And it's good to see you as a normal friend, not like during work stuff."

"Glad you could make it," Sara spoke. She gestured toward Elliot, who stood up to meet the new guest. "This is Elliot. One of my close friends and intern to my co-manager Dr. Denman."

"It's good to meet you!" Lizzy beamed, shaking Elliot's hand vigorously. "You're cute," she blurted out accidentally. Lizzy immediately shut her mouth, suddenly embarrassed and flustered.

"Uh…. Thank you… So you must be the infamous Lizzy that Sara's talked about. It's a pleasure to meet you," Elliot answered formally despite Lizzy's admission. Sara notice Elliot smiling as well, caught up in Lizzy's infectious excitement and enthusiasm.

"Ok, Lizzy. Now that you're here, what's this all about? Why all the secrecy?" Sara asked.

"I need to show you something," Lizzy spoke, gesturing to her laptop. "Do you have a desk I can set this up on?"

"Yeah, there's one inside," Elliot responded, opening the door to Denman's research room. Sara and LIzzy quickly followed in behind. Elliot walked to Denman's desk and neatly arranged the papers on it, providing enough space for Lizzy to put her laptop down.

Lizzy hurriedly turned her laptop on and went to a web browser. "Sara, you should know something. This is about Farley," Lizzy stated.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, confused. Lizzy pointed at the screen. Sara saw a clear image of Farley sitting in a nice leather bound chair looking quite happy. "Oh is this the interview he did with Gentleman Australia? I forgot it was coming out this morning! I guess I've just been too busy." Lizzy quickly fast forwarded through the video. Sara protested, "Hey, can I actually watch the video?"

"Later you can watch the whole goddamn thing if you want. But now.. I have to show you the problem. It may be really bad. Or maybe I'm being paranoid. I don't know," Lizzy replied quickly. She stopped at a point in the video directly. Skeptically, Sara looked at the video.

The interviewer looked directly at Farley and asked him a question. A question that caught Sara off guard. "Do you have any special abilities like her?" the interviewer asked, clearly referring to her mermaid abilities. Sara looked on as the camera returned to Farley's face, who had a look of shock about him. For a few seconds, he didn't answer, before slowly starting into a seemingly well-rehearsed answer. Farley's look of surprise was a huge tell. It was obvious from the video to anyone with deduction skills that...

Lizzy paused the video at the end of the clip. "Sara… Is… Farley a… Merman?" Lizzy stammered, unsure of how to pose the question. "I watched that clip so many different times, and it's so clear that Farle is trying to come up with a lie… All the other answers he gave were easy, clean and without hesitation. He was so passionate about your relationship. But then this… I mean-"

"We're fucked…" Sara interrupted, anxiety ramping up.

"Does that mean…"

"Yes Lizzy, Farley's a merman… And the goddamn video has only been out for a few hours. You figured it out that quickly…"

"Sara… This might be getting worse…" Elliot warned. "I fear something bad might happen. We need to warn Farley ASAP."

"I know I know! Lizzy figured it out, which must mean others are sure to be close behind…"

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Farley pulled down his cap to cover his eyes as best as he could. He was cursing himself for his stupidity, but he didn't have any other option. The woman who called him had found out he was a merman. She instructed him to meet her at Rikki's Cafe as soon as he could. So that's where he stood, off to the side of the front of the building. The place seemed busy. It was now a huge hotspot, with many people wanting pictures of where Sara was revealed, becoming somewhat touristy. But, lucky for Farley it was still early morning, so it wasn't as crowded as he thought it would be.

 _Now I just got to find out what this bitch wants._ Farley mumbled to himself. Farley swiftly stepped through the side entrance away from most of the normal customers, trying to get their usual juice. Zane wasn't behind the counter, most likely setting up the next scheme for Sara to do. Although now it didn't really matter.

Nobody looked out of place in the Cafe, more than usual at least, so Farley sat himself down at a small table towards the side, away from the crowd. He glanced around for exit options. If he needed to leave in a hurry, he needed a plan. For now, the best place seemed the office. Zane had it especially for mers who needed to escape if they were ever splashed. Ironic though, as Sara was revealed while running there, and now it could happen to Farley as well if he wasn't careful.

From in front of him entered a tall woman with black hair. She had a dark hat on as well, shielding her eyes. She immediately noticed Farley and sauntered over, with a haughty smirk on her face as she approached. She slowly lowered herself onto the seat across from Farley. "Good morning Mr. Farley Davis," She swooned. "Feeling well?"

"As much as one can after such an accusation you gave me," Farley answered cryptically. "And, you obviously know who I am. Yet, I have no idea who you are. By your accent I believe you're from The States, most likely from the upper midwest. But that is all I can tell at the moment."

"Very good Farley. It seems that dating an American mermaid made you more tuned to how I speak. But, you may call me Raven," the woman responded.

"Raven? Is that your real name, or is that some bullshit codename cuz you think you're some sort of spy?" Farley questioned.

"Little of Column A and Little of Column B," Raven sneered.

"Roger that. So, let's cut the bullshit. What do you want with me?" Farley asked.

"Cutting the bullshit indeed. Let's just take a moment first. I bet you're wondering how I found out about you," Raven added.

"At this moment, that really doesn't matter does it. You found out about me. You probably just want to gloat about how deductive you are. I don't care Raven. I really don't. Good for you for figuring it out. A+ effort. But, seriously, what do you want? Fame? Money? The secret for the perfect cup of tea?"

"I still haven't decided what I want with you yet. Maybe I could get an exclusive interview with the new merman," Raven suggested.

"Piss off. No way would I do one with you. Besides, I would be revealed anyway if I did that interview with you, so no way would I fucking do that," Farler berated.

"Or you could just pay me to keep your secret quiet."

"Fat chance. I don't have that kind of money. And I'd only get that type of money from being revealed and doing all the celebrity shit. You aren't really good at the whole blackmail thing, are ya?" Farley was pissed. This girl was trying way too hard to be something special. But, he wasn't messing around. This Raven chick had gone too far, and Farley was fired up.

"We will just have to see…"

"You didn't think this thing through, did you? You have no bargaining chip here. Nothing to gain from knowing my secret. Hell, you don't even know what you want to do now that you know my secret. You just want to brag about how great of a journalist you are about figuring it out. Well good for you, but it wasn't worth anything," Farley chastised Raven. "Even if you revealed me right now, you would gain nothing from it. You have failed. Have a nice fucking day."

Raven chuckled. "I get it. You're right. I didn't have a crash course in bargaining and negotiation before this. Maybe I didn't think this through all the way. But, you are forgetting one tiny yet important detail."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I can do this." Without a second thought, Raven grabbed a glass of water from the closest table and threw it at Farley. Farley threw up his hands to protect himself, but it wasn't enough, and he was completely soaked through. Before Farley could take a step to escape, Raven slid up to him, and shoved him as hard as she could.

Farley lost his balance, sliding back a few steps before crashing into the table behind him. The cheaper table cracked under the force, and bent inward. Farley slid forward, completely dazed and out of focus, and he collapsed onto the floor. In pain and unable to move, Farley lay there on the floor, alarm bells ringing. He lost count of the time…

Adrenaline pumped back through Farley as he felt a tingling sensation in his legs. _Oh fuck me…_ Farley looked down as tail appeared down below him, shining bright and blue, like it always had.

The cafe was deftly silent. Farley looked outward at all the waiting customers who had been curious at the commotion and crash of Farley falling into the table. And now, they all saw him as a merman, lying in a heap at the base of partially broken table. He was ruined.

They all rushed up to Farley, phones flashing. Anger rushed through Farley as thousands of questions hit him all at once. Farley ignored it all. He looked beyond it all as he saw Raven smirk before casually retreating from the scene. Farley sighed and felt a twinge of regret. _What will Sara think of me now for my failure…_

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"Farley isn't picking up his phone…" Sara trailed off, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "He always answers when I call."

"Maybe he's just busy at the moment?" Elliot suggested.

"Where could he have gone to?" Lizzy pondered.

"I don't know. We all met up earlier today, the others and I, to talk about this letter I got. But… he left suddenly without much explanation. Nobody else thought it was a big deal either. But…. I don't know…" Sara explained.

"Who are the others?" Lizzy asked.

"Other friends of mine. It's my group of friends that first found out I was a mermaid. Farley's a part of it," Sara added.

"Wait… Is it because he's a merman? Are there other mers that you're friends with? Is it more than just you and Farley?"

"Lizzy! Please! Now is not the time. You came to me when you figured out about Farley, which shows you are somewhat trustworthy. But there's a lot about my life I can't talk to you about right now. We have to figure out what's going on with Farley right now," Sara spoke.

"Ok fine. I want a full explanation though," Lizzy warned.

"And you shall get one soon," Sara replied.

"Right, now we got to find Farley and warn him," Elliot added, sitting down at the computer. "I'll message Denman and Zane about what's going on and… What?"

"What's wrong?" Sara asked, brow furrowing.

"Oh no… But, no… no no no no no NO!" Elliot stuttered.

"What are you going on about?"

Elliot turned the computer to face Sara and Lizzy. On the front page news, clear as day, was a picture of Farley, laying in a heap on top of a ruined table, tail on full display for everyone to say. The heading of "MERMAN REVEALED" was shown brightly above. In no time at all, thousands of people had retweeted the picture. Sara's mouth flung open, but no words came out. She was too shocked. She looked at Elliot, whose eyes were wide and panicked.

"Sara… Are you going to be ok?" Lizzy asked, breaking the tension. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know… I… Farley… It's all my fault…" Sara cried. "I turned him into a merman, and now he's revealed."

"You turned him into a merman? How?" Lizzy questioned.

"What did you do to him?" Elliot questioned as well.

"There's no time to explain! Elliot, Lizzy, I swear that as soon as we get this shit figured out, I'll tell you everything. Both of you have proven you're trustworthy. We need to rally the troops and help Farley. After that, I will explain the whole story. But now…" Sara was interrupted by her phone ringing. She quickly put it to her ear.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?" Blake roared into Sara's ear through the phone. "The internet is blowing up right now about the new merman. Farley's in trouble right now. We've all seen the news."

"I know I know! I don't know what happened!" Sara exclaimed.

"Mia, Katy, Mitch, and I are still at Mitch's boat house. What do you want us to do?" Blake asked.

"Stay there! Worst thing we do is get you all involved still. We have to protect Mia and Katy as long as we can. I'm going to rally Denman and Zane and see if we can somehow fix all this," Sara explained.

"Godspeed, Sara. This may get out of control quicker than we can contain it," Blake warned.

"There's… one other thing…"

"Oh god, it's getting worse than Farley being revealed?" Blake moaned.

"Not… necessarily. Look, Elliot and my new friend Lizzy are here. And, they're asking a lot of questions. Some that they're not going to go away about. We need to clue them both in on the whole story; the true story of everything. Laura included."

"I believe we can trust Elliot and Laura with the whole story. But, can you trust Lizzy? 100%?"

"She figured out Farley was a merman and came to warn me that others might as well when she could've just used it against us. I think that proves we can trust her," Sara affirmed.

"Then, we should do it. If they can be trusted, they'll be good allies," Blake added.

"Right. I'm gonna go now. I'll see how I can fix this," Sara spoke.

"Well, we're all behind you. Do what you can Sara, for all of us," Blake encouraged.

Sara hung up the phone. Worried, yet determined. She turned to the two others. "Elliot, Lizzy. Come with me. We're gonna figure this all out."

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Farley was pissed off. Thoroughly furious. He couldn't remember a time where he was this angry ever before. But he contained it. He knew if he unleashed it, he could heat up the room with his boil powers. That would be even worse than his reveal, and also put Sara at risk. He looked up from the floor. Cameras will still flashing and people were questioning him from all angles. Over and over again, all he said was. "I am currently waiting for Zane Bennett, my manager." He hoped to buy himself some time so that Zane, Sara, or even Denman would see what had happened and come to his rescue.

Farley looked up at all the people above him, gawking and loudly talking. They hadn't engulfed him yet, so that was a plus he guessed. But, his secret had vanished. He cursed himself over and over. Whoever that Raven girl was had figured it out within three days of Sara going public. And now, everything was falling apart.

A commotion toward the front of the Cafe caught his attention. Shouting protests went back and forth, but Farley couldn't see what was going on. "Everybody move!" shouted a booming voice, and the crowd parted.

Stepping forward through the gap, flanked by a few large police officers stood Zane, followed by Sara, Denman, Elliot, Laura, and another short girl with light brown hair cautiously following directly behind Sara. Zane smirked down at Farley before tossing a towel down to him. "You asked for a rescue?" Zane quipped.

"I would say you got here just in time, but then again, it wouldn't matter now," Farley replied before furiously toweled himself dry. Within a minute, he was dry and his legs returned. The crowd gasped as Farley stood to his feet.

"To the office," Zane spoke. "We have a lot to talk about and plan." Flanked by the officers, the group of seven forced their way into Zane's office. The officers stood guard outside the door, keeping the crowd at bay.

Farley collapsed on the couch, a few tears falling from his brown eyes. Sara felt strong pain of guilt at sadness. She had never seen Farley so emotionally distressed. It was all her fault too. She had turned him into a merman. She had gotten the spotlight on Farley, and eventually, it caused him to be revealed. Somehow. "How are you feeling?" Sara asked him.

Farley quickly wiped away any tears he had, trying to seem tough. "Alright I suppose. But, at least I know what the most humiliating moment of my life has been now," He joked. "It was when I shit in my pants at school when I was five. But, this is a very close second."

Sara chuckled at Farley's weak humor attempt, and Farley joined in as they laughed together for a quick moment. "So, we're here to help any way we can," Sara spoke. "We need to find some way to mitigate this situation."

"Aye. And this is our crew to do it?" Farley quipped. "We got Zane the brain, Doctor Doom, the minions, and…" Farley turned to Lizzy. "Who are you exactly?"

"Oh! Hi! I.. I'm Lizzy. I'm a new friend of Sara's," Lizzy introduced herself nervously, stepping up and shaking Farley's hand. "I… may have figured out you were a merman before all this… And, I went to warn Sara. Turns out we were too late, and I just got caught up in this thing. "

"Can we trust her?" Farley asked to Sara.

"I believe we can. Besides, she's already figured out some... other things… So, It's smart to keep her close," Sara spoke.

"Roger that. Anyone that can help this situation from getting worse is ok by me, especially since you trust her," Farley agreed.

"What exactly happened?" Zane asked.

"Some dumb bitch named Raven or something found out about me and threatened me with revealing my secret. I thought I could tell her off. And… well you see what became of that," Farley explained. "I don't know how she found out about me though."

"I… uh… have an idea… How.. she might of found out about you that is," Lizzy squeaked.

"Well, you did say you somehow figured it out. How did you do it?" Farley questioned.

"It was in your interview with Gentleman Australia. You… During the last question about whether you had abilities like Sara, you hesitated, and looked extremely nervous. The reaction was completely different than the reactions of your other questions. I saw that and I knew right away. That's when I went to warn Sara," Lizzy explained.

"Damn it… That has to be how Raven found out about it then," Farley rubbed his temples. "The one thing to divert attention from me is the one that ruins it. Go figure." He turned to Zane. "So, my new merman manager, what's the plan for getting me out of this mess?"

"Well, we're going back to the beginning of Operation Endgame," Zane spoke.

"Which means I need to do a press conference I'm guessing," Farley concluded.

"Precisely! A lot of people are making their judgements right now of you. And it might be worse than when it was Sara. Before, it was just Sara as a mermaid. She was an anomaly," Zane explained. "You're different. People are now going to question whether you two are the only ones now, more than before."

"And, from what I've seen, mermen don't have that same worship in media that mermaids do," Elliot added. "We have to be prepared that it might be a harder struggle for Farley to be accepted."

"Thanks Debbie Downer," Farley quipped. "So, press conference. Got it. Then what? It's not like I can give a demonstration like Sara. People can already guess what I can do."

"True. But doesn't mean we don't talk about how great you are and cool you are," Zane added.

"Thanks for boosting my ego."

"That's not the point!"

"Cool it you two!" Sara interjected. "How about this… People knew that Farley wanted to become more attractive and confident to date me right? We could use that to convince people that he even became a merman to get closer to me?"

"Well, I actually have an idea…" Farley added. "Something, well, that makes us both get out of it as heroes. It's the only thing I can think of."

"Well, Farley, you're the merman here. What do you think?" Denman asked.

"Right. Here's my plan…"


	45. Chapter 44: Here We Go Again

**Chapter 44: Here We Go Again**

Farley nervously tapped his foot against the floor. He was sitting on the couch in Zane's office, a little over an hour after he was revealed as a mermaid. Sara sat down next to him, holding his hand in hers. Whatever happened, they were in this together. They both were now public with their tails.

Elliot tapped away at the computer, monitoring social media buzzing about Farley's upcoming press conference. Laura and Lizzy peered over both of his shoulders, trying to keep track of everything that was happening. Zane and Denman had left for a moment, looking to help set up everything for Farley's press conference, leaving the others in anxious waiting in the office.

"So apparently you're being called the Mermaid couple!" Lizzy blurted up. Sara and Farley looked up in surprise.

"Soooo…. creative," Sara joked. "Not much thought into that."

"Hey, I think it's cool," Lizzy added before turning back to the screen. "What do you think Elliot?"

"Me? Oh sorry, I spaced off for a moment. But…. Yeah, I mean it's kinda cool," Elliot replied.

"Well, I think it's awesome."

"You think everything is awesome. And I haven't known you for more than a few hours," Elliot teased.

"Oh whatever. I'm just happy to be a part of this. Optimism is not a defect," Lizzy fired back.

Elliot smirked up at Lizzy who smiled back. He then turned back to the screen. Immediately, Denman and Zane burst in through the front door of the office. Everyone stood up and faced them at attention, like a weird mix of weary soldiers. Zane and Denman looked tired, but they didn't look disheartened, which Farley took as a good sign. "What's the word?" Sara asked.

"Well, people bit on the press conference. It's packed again, just so you both know," Zane spoke.

"However, there's a bit more of a problem," Denman added. "The reporters out there are a bit more…. inquisitive... They feel like… Since Sara didn't talk about Farley being a merman, that there's a lot more that you both are hiding. It's going to be a lot tougher for the both of you. You have to be prepared."

"I suppose it has to be this way," Farley relented, a small tear in his eye. He quickly wiped it away. "I made my bed. Now… It's time to go lie in it."

Sara's phone buzzed loudly. "To only make it more complicated… It's Cleo," She spoke, furrowing her brow.

"Answer it," Zane commanded. "No doubt she wants answers." 

Sara gulped and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"So… You never told us Farley was a merman," Cleo stated directly. "And since you're probably going on stage at his press conference soon to give only the partial truth on what happened, I want the whole truth, mermaid to mermaid. How did this happen?"

"Cleo… I can't…." Sara stepped away toward the back room of the office. "There are people here that, I don't know if I should talk about openly with, especially regarding how one becomes a merperson."

"Like who?"

"Well… There's Denman, who you despise obviously; Elliot Gilbert, who you probably would be ok with knowing all the secrets because he's Emma's sister; Laura Collins, who is Denman's other assistant, but you don't know her. And… There's my friend Lizzy. Who, I only met three days ago, but she's proven her loyalty, and is already kinda in on the whole thing. So, I don't know. I'm away from them now. But… Do we really want to reveal all of this to them? They've proven their loyalty to our cause," Sara explained.

"Obviously, we don't trust Denman, even though you do. Elliot is ok. Laura sounds acceptable, if you and Elliot trust her. And this Lizzy girl, I don't know. It's your call Sara. Do you trust her enough to tell her everything?"

"I think I can."

"Then, do what you must. Anyway, back to the question at hand. How did Farley become a merman?"

Sara gave a quick rundown over the past few months from her work with Denman to eventual break with Farley, and finally to the full moon, where she forced him into the moon pool. Sara cringed as she forced herself to tell the story to Cleo. Even the hard part of her mistake in turning him into a merman. She finished with telling her about running away where Farley eventually found her and brought her back. "And, that's basically the whole story. No details redacted, even the more ugly ones" Sara concluded.

Cleo paused for a moment on the other the line. So much so that Sara thought she hung up. "That's a tough story," Cleo spoke up after a moment. "Thank you for sharing with me. And after all this, you both are still together and support each other. If that doesn't make you a strong couple, I don't know what does."

"Thank you Cleo. I guess…"

"I wasn't finished," Cleo interrupted. Sara slammed her mouth shut. "You and Farley are playing a dangerous and careless game. I understand that bad things have happened. But, you have to remember, and I know Rikki already told you this, but this affects so much more than you. Think of me, Rikki, Bella, Emma, and your two friends Mia and Katy. You can't…."

"You don't think I know that?" Sara interrupted right back. "I've done nothing but think of all of you! I'm carrying the weight of the entire world on my fucking shoulders right now!" Sara relaxed for a moment before continuing in a softer voice. "Cleo, you're great. But you don't know how I feel right now. You don't know the stress, pressure, and hurt I'm under, yet you still doubt my determination, will, and tenacity. I can and I will do this. You can count on that!"

Cleo was silent again, before beginning to chuckle into the phone, completely surprising Sara. "So… The student has become the master," Cleo acknowledged. "Sara, I believe in your determination. Now that I've talked to you, I understand your drive now more than ever. You're so much stronger than the young mermaid I met months ago. And, I know you'll do us proud. Do what you can, because you're doing more than I could ever do."

"Thank you Cleo. That means so much coming from you."

"Good luck Sara! You're going to need it."

Sara hung up the phone, more determined than ever. She walked back to the main room, where all her friends looked at Sara with an inquisitive look. "What's going on?" Farley asked. 

"They're concerned about us. We have to be careful with how we do this. We cannot fail. For everyone we care about," Sara spoke cautiously.

Farley stepped and put his hand on her shoulder. "We will do this together. You and I. We will take on whatever challenges those bitches out there throw at us," He spoke confidently.

"Now, look who's feeling better," Sara teased.

"I'm here with you, taking on the world. What could be better?"

Sara stepped up and locked lips with Farley. Their kiss lingered for a moment before they broke apart. Sara whispered into Farley's ear, "Cleo said we were also an awesome couple. So, we got that going for us."

"Awww…. You two are too cute! I'm so jealous," Lizzy exclaimed.

"Don't be. They're just mushy about everything," Elliot joked to Lizzy.

"Oh, both of you, cool it," Sara quipped. "And yes, I know you're jealous of us too Elliot. Just you wait! You'll get in a relationship soon and you'll want to do the same kind of shit."

"Take that Elliot," Lizzy added.

"Oh give me a break," Elliot rolled his eyes, turning back to the computer..

"Ok. All of you. We need to refocus on the task at hand. The press conference starts in fifteen minutes, and Sara and Farley, you need to be on your "A" game," Zane spoke.

Sara looked across at Farley, love and determination in her eyes. "I think we'll be ready."

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It was time. Their press conference was just about to begin. Sara was more prepared than Farley, as she had just done it three days before. Farley was anxious, and just looking to get it over with. "Any advice before we go out," he asked Zane.

"I wish I could say it'll all go smoothly. But I don't know. I will say that you must keep your head and remain calm. If you allow them to anger you, you might say or do something regrettable," Zane warned.

"Well, I'll do what I can," Farley replied before turning back toward the door. Sara stepped up and grabbed his hand and held it with hers. She looked him directly in the eyes and smiled. Farley relaxed and smiled back at her. They shared a quick kiss before facing the door and an uncertain future together.

"Well, here we go again," Sara quipped. "For better or worse."

"No turning back now," Farley added. "Let's do this." He cautiously reached for the door and shoved it open.

Sound blasted them. Hundreds of reporters crowded the Cafe once again. They all were discussing amongst themselves. There were a lot more questions floating through the air. At the sight of Farley and Sara, the reporters all turned and gasped, quieting down and preparing to question the two of them. Farley gulped and stepped forward. Sara kept stride with him, firmly holding his hand as well. She was calm and steadfast. It had only been a few days, and Sara was holding together well, even becoming used to it, Farley noted.

The Cafe was silent as the two of them approached the stage. Farley felt a drop of sweat slide down his back as his nervousness ramped up another notch. _How the hell did Sara do this the first time? Come on Farley, get it together!_ Two chairs were situated at the table on the stage, almost an extremely similar setup to Sara's conference three days before. The similarities were uncanny between her's and Farley's.

They each sat down in their respective seats, notes scattered in front of them, ready with their prepared statements. Farley looked at Sara, who returned the gaze. They smiled at each other once again. Now, it was time to take on the world. Together as merman boyfriend and mermaid girlfriend.

"Thank you all for coming. It feels like we've been here before…" Sara joked, trying to keep it light. "But, we know why you're here. And, I understand that I left details initially out of my story about Farley, yet only to protect him. Yes, Farley is a merman, something I had failed to mention . I love him, and didn't want him to face the uncertainty that I was dealing with when I came out as a mermaid."

Sara nodded to Farley. "I will admit over the past few days with Sara being public, I had been racked with anxiety that I might be revealed as well," Farley spoke up. "I apologize to have kept it hidden as well. But, I felt that I needed to, more importantly, support Sara in anyway that I could before I dealt with my own reveal. Also, I… only became a merman in the past few weeks."

"How it happened was… I saved him from drowning," Sara spoke. "Farley was out swimming early one morning."

"I wanted to impress Sara," Farley interjected. "Obviously I knew she was a mermaid for some time, and loved the water. I started swimming more to get stronger in the water. Before I became a merman, I was a poor swimmer. I wanted to get better to stay for a longer time with Sara in the water, to better connect us. That's why I was out there that morning. Unfortunately, I was caught in a dangerous and powerful riptide. Still not being a strong swimmer, it wasn't long before I was sucked out to sea, far from shore. I struggled to stay above the water but…" Farley put his head down, wiping a fake tear from his eye. Sara patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, adding to the ruse.

"I also went swimming that morning, as I did most mornings. I just happened to be swimming along the coast when I saw a man floating in the waters, unmoving. I panicked, even before I saw it was Farley. I swam up quickly. And… I saw it was Farley. Eyes closed, unmoving. He looked lifeless," Sara continued.

"I didn't feel anything, but the water around me. Soon, I passed out from lack of air," Farley added. "That's the last thing I remember."

"I put my lips on Farley's and blew air into his lungs. If I could've cried underwater, I would have. Farley looked and felt dead to me. I poured out my emotion and pulled him close. Then… the same flash of light that had happened when I was turned into a mermaid happened again. And after that, Farley's eyes snapped open. And, they looked straight at me. Seeing that he was still alive, I swam him to shore."

"That's the next thing I remembered," Farley spoke. "I woke up on the beach coughing up seawater. Sara was laying on the beach next to me, still in her tail and she told me what had just happened. I was happy to be alive, but it wasn't until the next day when I got into the shower that my tail appeared. And… There you go. Still have no idea how it happened or why it happened. But, Sara and I have been working through this together. Now that we're both public together, we're going to be sticking by each other, no matter what."

"I hope that will clear up a lot of what we are," Sara spoke. "But even so, we will answer a few questions."

A hundred hands all went up at once. Sara pointed at a man near the front row. He stepped up and spoke, "Yes. That's a really good story for both of you. But, why should we believe you? On anything you've said."

Sara blinked twice, honestly confused. "What?" she spoke.

"You heard me. You both sit up there and weave a tale that shows how great you both are, but it's almost too convenient. What's the real truth?"

Sara furrowed her brow, almost floundering with the question. Farley's annoyance broke forth. "The real truth? You want the truth? We have tails. We can swim over eighty kilometers per hour, we can hold our breath for over half an hour. Sara is a mermaid, and I'm a merman. And we have no idea why we are this way or what we even are! There's no easy way to explain it. Dr. Linda Denman, in all her vast scientific knowledge from being one of the top Marine Biologists in Australia couldn't scientifically find an explanation for why we became what we are now. It's a mystery to everybody"

Sara picked up on Farley's rant. "We can only tell you what we are and hope that you all would accept! I wish we could stand up here today and tell you, simply what we are and why we became this. But we can't even explain why we got our tails. We can only sit up here today and try to explain what we are without really knowing, and try to get you to accept us. We want to tell the truth. It's hard though when we don't even know it."

"We only want love and acceptance. And, we want to tell our story so that we might find them in a society where hate can still reign."

"No matter what, we want to be here and be a part of life, whether you all like it or not."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara and Farley returned to Zane's office, exhausted. They both flopped down onto the couch together, somewhat happy on how the press conference. After their rant following the first question, few dared ask another question. They had proven their tenacity, love, and determination in their speech. The man who asked that lowered his head, honestly flustered by their answers.

"That was great!" Elliot exclaimed. "Everyone on social media loved your rant. You didn't bullshit, and everyone loves your brutal honesty. 'Stick it to the man Sara! No one should tell you what you can and can't be!' And honestly that's just one tweet from thousands. Farley, so many media outlets say that your passion is what real men are made of."

"I just got angry," Farley admitted. "When I was revealed, I felt too powerless. It only made me furious at life for revealing me and as well my own stupidity. And, I needed to rant about it."

"Well, it sounds like it worked," Zane noted. "A lot of media organizations want your interviews now. Together. They've fully adopted the whole 'Mermaid Couple' name for you."

Lizzy stepped up and shook both their hands. Sara looked at her puzzled. "I just wanted to say thank you, Sara. You believed in me even when I didn't really treat you that well. And, watching you up on stage, both of you, made me realize how much you care about life and people. I will do anything for you, and I'm happy to be here."

"That's… Lizzy, you're great. I know we've only known each other for three days, but I see great potential in you. And… hold on one moment. I've got an idea." Sara spoke. "Please wait a moment for me. I need privacy." She stood up and walked over to Zane's desk and picked up a bottle of water off of it. She continued to the back room, away from the others. For what she would do, she wouldn't need some other to know about this.

Sara sat down on the cold floor in the dimly lit room, splashing the water on her. In a moment, her tail appeared. _Mia. Katy. If you get this, get into your tails. I must talk to you about something. It is important._

It took a minute or two before she heard a voice in her head. _Nice rant you and Farley gave._ Mia quipped. _But still why did you want to talk to us telepathically right now? Wouldn't a simple phone call suffice?_

 _Nobody can listen in to this conversation though which is why I want to do it to talk about sensitive information._ Sara explained.

 _What sensitive information?_ Katy asked, joining the conversation.

 _I… think there are three people we need to fully accept into our group of six, fully accept into the original Team Mako. That includes telling them everything. How to become mermaids, who is a mermaid, how Mako Island is involved with everything. Stuff like that._ Sara explained.

 _Three people? But who? And Why?_ Mia questioned, getting defensive.

 _Elliot, Laura, and my new friend Lizzy._ Sara added.

 _Lizzy… That girl you talked about before? You literally just met her. Why would we bring her into this?"_ Mia questioned again.

 _Because I believe she can be trustworthy._ Sara affirmed.

 _I'm with Mia on this one. We obviously don't know Lizzy. And, I don't know if there's any way we can trust her._ Katy put in.

 _Look… Lizzy found out about Farley, the same way the woman that actually revealed him did. But, instead of using that to her advantage like that other woman did, she came straight to me. She wanted me to warn Farley about it. She didn't have to, yet she did. And just now, she says she's willing to go to bat for me._ Sara explained. _Plus, she may have been let on that their are more mermaids out there._

Mia and Katy were silent for a moment. _So… You want us to voluntarily give up our secret to someone we've never met?_ Mia questioned. _But, you believe in your heart of hearts that you can trust her? Without a doubt?_

 _Her loyalty is unquestionable. Maybe because I'm the first person to see her value. There's no way she would betray me._

 _I trust you Sara. So I guess that means I can trust her because of you._ Katy accepted.

 _Ugh… Why do I have to be the one that's dragging behind?_ Mia complained. _Alright fine. I'm in._

 _And… I'm assuming that telling Elliot and Laura is ok?_ Sara spoke.

 _I mean they kinda know mostly everything anyway._ Katy added.

 _And, plus, with Elliot's sister being a mermaid as well, there is no way he would betray us. And Laura is fiercely loyal to us through Denman._ Mia put in.

 _Perfect. We will now have new members in our inner circle. If you call it that._ Sara joked. _They will all be good allies. They've proven their worth. And, they deserve to know our secrets._

 **I hope you guys loved this one. School picked up, and I really haven't had the free time I want. So, I hope I can make it up to you with this chapter. As always, leave a review of what you think! I can't wait to hear what you think of this.**


	46. Chapter 45: Initiation

**Fun fact, it was just about a year ago that I released the first chapter of this story. It's been amazing writing this story for all of you. Thank you to my loyal readers who have been with me from the very beginning. Here's to another year!**

 **Chapter 45: Initiation**

The water was a deep black in color under the darkness of night. A crescent moon shown high in the sky and reflected off the ocean's surface. However, it did little to light the way. In Farley's small metal boat, five figures sat in silence, traveling swiftly through the waters. It was a bit crowded, but it was the group's best way to travel unnoticed on their way to Mako Island. Mitch sat at the controls, accelerating the throttle forward toward the small island. Blake sat next to him, helping to navigate in the darkness. Lizzy, Elliot, and Laura sat farther up, trying to contain their nervous feelings. Sara didn't explain much to them, only that some secrets would be revealed to all three. They met up with Blake and Mitch at an abandoned looking boat house, and they all set out towards Mako Island. But, neither three knew why they were going there.

"So… What is this going to be exactly?" Elliot asked back to Blake.

"You'll see when we get there. We must keep some things hidden for now, but I promise it will make sense. All will become clear," Blake spoke.

Elliot rolled his eyes and turned his eyes forward. "Sounds like this is some kind of cult initiation with how mysterious and cryptic everyone is being," he quipped to Laura.

"What do you think we're gonna learn about?" Lizzy questioned, turning around to face the two of them, giant grin on her face.

"Well… I don't know. I know there are things we know that you don't know yet, and apparently there are things that neither of us know. So… We'll find out when we get to Mako Island. I honestly have no idea what we could learn," Elliot explained. _Lizzy is always excited about everything. It's almost infectious._

"Supposedly, this island has a huge significance for them," Laura added. "We have no idea why, but yeah, looks like we might find out. We have been there once before. But… they never mentioned anything special about it."

"Who are they though?" Lizzy questioned. "I know there are more people involved than this than Sara, Farley, and these blokes behind us. But…"

"You like to question everything, don't you," Elliot joked.

"Maybe I like to learn and understand the world around me. You should try it sometime," Lizzy teased back.

Elliot and Lizzy laughed together, almost as if they felt a connection. Laura raised an eyebrow at Elliot who just rolled his eyes and shrugged it off. She noted his odd smile when talking with Lizzy. She kept it to herself for the moment, however. They had more pressing matters to deal with.

Soon, Mako Island was in sight. The lone volcano at the center of the island, hard to spot in the poor light of the night if you weren't looking for it, was seen towering above the waters. Within minutes they arrived at the shore. They all hopped out and into the knee deep waters. Blake and Mitch pulled the small vessel up onto the beach and out of the tide. They all congregated at a spot up near the tree line, with Blake and Mitch at the head. "Ok you three. Remember from what Sara said, you are going to learn things tonight that are some of our greatest secrets about our group, as well as secrets about mermaids that few people know about," Blake spoke. "You have been chosen for your loyalty to Sara and Farley in their trying time of being revealed to the world. We must not have you betray that trust, as it would have dire consequences for everything and everyone involved."

"Right. Anyone who you do not see with us tonight are not to be trusted with any of the information you will learn. Not even with Dr. Denman. Is that understood?" Mitch added.

"Yes," Laura, Lizzy, and Elliot responded simultaneously.

"Is that understood?" Mitch questioned again. "I cannot stress enough how important this is."

"Yes!" The other three replied, louder this time. "Come on Mitch, you can trust us," Elliot added.

"Listen minion. I've only known you for a few days. I don't trust you at all. But, Sara and Farley trust you. That is the ONLY reason you are here. Remember that well."

"I… Ok."

"Good. Now that we're on the same page, follow us. We will take you to the place where the others have gathered," Blake spoke, and he stepped forward into the jungle with Mitch following right after.

"Yep. This is definitely a cult we're getting into," Elliot joked again.

"Oh just go along with it," Lizzy spoke. "This is kinda fun and exciting actually!" And, she disappeared after Blake and Mitch.

Laura chuckled as she and Elliot brought up the rear. "You like that Lizzy girl don't you?" She asked blatantly.

"I mean… I only just met her today… But, I mean… Kinda yeah. But still… I know you're here and I don't want to make you jealous or anything like that," Elliot stammered.

"Of… you and me?" Laura chuckled again. "I mean, you do know I'm more attracted to her than to you right? No offense or anything."

"None taken. But… Oh, yeah I guess I don't need to worry about offending you by going after her. Unless she's more attracted to you as well," Elliot admitted. "Then there would be nothing I could do."

"See, there you go. If it makes you feel any better, you have my blessing to go after her. And besides, I see the way she looks at you. She probably is into you too," Laura added.

"Then… Well, we'll see. Not sure if I will or not."

"Take your time. No need to rush."

"Roger that, love guru," Elliot quipped.

"Funny. Besides, we got to help Sara and Farley. Worry about your love life later."

The party continued forward through the dense jungle. Their path ended at a river with a small waterfall leading up to a small rock formation above them. Taking a narrow route along the river, Blake and Mitch led them up onto the rock formation. Then, Blake and Mitch stopped in a random place and knelt down. Slightly confused, Laura, Lizzy, and Elliot followed their lead.

Blake pointed into a small tunnel in the rock, barely visible unless you knew where to look. "You three. Go down there. Wait for us at the bottom."

"We're supposed to go down there? But why?" Lizzy complained.

"That's where the meeting will take place. This is the secret spot of our group. So, if you don't mind, I would head down there if I were you," Mitch explained quickly.

"Screw it," Elliot spoke, and he stepped up and dove into the hole without a second thought.

"If he's doing it, I'm not going to let him show me up," Lizzy huffed and scrambled down after him.

"You two are really going at it with the theatrics," Laura joked to Mitch and Blake.

"Oh come on. We're having a bit of fun," Blake joked back. "But still… We want you understand the importance of what we're showing you tonight."

"You don't have to tell us twice. We know how crazy the public is now with mermaids. We wouldn't dare make it worse. But either way, we'll let you play out your little initiation skit here."

Lizzy slammed down on top of Elliot at the bottom of the tunnel, knocking their heads together. "What was that for?" Elliot groaned, somewhat woozy.

Lizzy sat up, slightly dizzy, still on top of Elliot. "What?" Lizzy suddenly snapped to alertness. She looked straight down at Elliot below her, and she was sitting on his chest. "Oh.. I… I'm… so sorry," Lizzy stammered before rolling away.

"You're fine. Just don't try and hurt me again," Elliot joked, smiling at Lizzy who returned it. Even though he was trying to catch his breath.

A few seconds later, Laura landed in the cave, followed by Mitch and Blake. "What is this place?" Lizzy inquired.

"This is the secret meeting place, just as we've said. See those steps?" Blake spoke, pointing forward. "Follow that path. We'll be right behind you."

Elliot looked at Laura and Lizzy and shrugged. He stepped forward, and up the steps. Laura and Lizzy followed directly behind. Out they came into another cavern. This one had a blueish glowing pool of water along the far side, calm and tranquil. Standing on the pool's edge were Farley and Sara, staring straight ahead at the three of them. "Welcome, to the three of you," Sara spoke. "Tonight, we will impart to you the secrets we wish to be kept from the outside world."

"Oh my god are you actually a mermaid from an underwater kingdom?" Lizzy blurted before slamming her mouth shut.

Sara laughed at Lizzy's outburst. "No, but there are some things we haven't actually gotten a chance to talk about. Until now," Sara spoke, and she sat down with Farley, dangling their feet in the water. "Now, we shall show you a few things," Sara continued as her and Farley's tails appeared. "But first, Lizzy must be brought up to speed to what Laura and Elliot already are aware of."

"Brought up to what speed?" Lizzy asked, but Sara only smirked and leaned back in the pool

Lizzy looked out into the pool and saw a flurry of motion deep in the water. She gasped as two new girls popped out of the water, their tails glimmering behind them, the same color as Sara's, one brunette and one redhead. They swam up to the edge of the pool and rested their arms upon the ground. "There are... two… more… mermaids?" Lizzy stammered, barely able to get her question out.

"Of course. I actually wasn't the only one transformed into a mermaid. Lizzy Wright, I would like you to meet my two best friends and fellow mermaids Katy Arlington and Mia Hobbs," Sara introduced them.

Lizzy slowly approached Katy and Mia. "I promise we don't bite," Katy joked. "Well Mia actually might. But I won't"

"Hey now!" Mia protested.

"This is… insane...," Lizzy spoke. She moved her eyes to Sara who nodded approvingly. Lizzy stepped quickly to them and knelt down, shaking Mia's and Katy's hands. "It's… a pleasure to meet you."

"And to you as well. Sara's told us a lot about you," Mia spoke.

"All good things? Or all the bad things about me," Lizzy responded.

"Hmmm… Little of column A, little of Column B," Mia joked.

"Don't listen to her, she can be quite sarcastic sometimes," Katy added. "But, we have heard great things about you Lizzy, so it is our pleasure to meet you as well."

"So… there are three mermaids, and one merman?" Lizzy asked.

"Well… Not exactly. It turns out there are other mermaids as well. Although, they are much farther away from here. All the way in America right now," Sara explained. "Someday, you might actually meet them. One of them is Elliot's sister after all."

"That's so cool!" Lizzy exclaimed, spinning around to Elliot.

"Don't be too impressed," Elliot chuckled. "Apparently she was one for many years, and I only found out the night Sara was revealed. So… I'm more slightly disappointed that she didn't tell me, but no matter."

"But still… This changes everything I thought I knew about you Sara. And, mermaids in general…" Lizzy pondered.

"I understand this might be hard, but there's still more to tell you," Katy added.

"What about the two of us?" Laura interrupted, gesturing toward Elliot as well. "All now it seems that you're just telling things to Lizzy, and we're just here to watch."

"Don't be so impatient, minion," Mia snapped. "But… We are getting to that."

Sara, Mia, Katy, and Farley pulled themselves out of the water and onto the dry land. "This is where the fun begins," Sara joked. In an instant, she thrust out her hand. Lizzy, Laura, and Elliot watched in shock as Sara lifted the water off of all four of the mers and threw it back into the water. In an instant, they were dry and their legs reappeared. The four of them stood up to face Lizzy, Elliot, and Laura. "Oh yeah, we also have powers over water."

"But how?" Elliot questioned.

"Don't know how. We just can. We don't have a better explanation then that. We would tell you if we actually had a theory about it," Sara answered. She thrust out her hand again, and a ball of water the size of a bowling ball rose out of the water. Sara casually floated it over to the three of them. She watched with pride as she saw Elliot, LIzzy, and Laura get wide-eyed at it. "As you can see, I can move water with my mind via telekinesis. I also have the ability to control wind. Although using it in here wouldn't be a very smart idea."

Katy stepped up and threw out her hand. The ball of water froze solid. "I can freeze water and control precipitation. It's pretty cool," She bragged jokingly.

Sara launched the ice ball away toward the wall and it smashed and shattered when it impacted. "You guys are like superheroes," Elliot stated. "Just like in the comic books. All you need is some snazzy costumes and you're all set."

"Now it's my turn," Mia spoke. "Watch and learn." She strutt over to the pool and clenched her fist. The three others watched in curiosity as the water in the pool began to bubble as steam rose out of the pool in twists and turns. "I can heat and boil water. And I can cause lightning. No big deal or anything."

Farley stepped up last. "Not to brag as well, but I have all three of those water powers," Farley quipped. And, to an increasingly enthusiastic audience of Laura, Lizzy, and Elliot, performed all three powers easily.

"So, there you have it. All four of us have powers to control water with our minds. Pretty sweet though right?" Sara projected. "This is something we need to keep hidden from the public at large. If they knew we could do things like this. It would be damaging to our public image and we might be even treated as monsters."

"This is incredible. It's so much to take in," Lizzy spoke. "But thank you for including me in your secret."

"We're not done yet," Katy spoke. "There's another thing we must speak of."

"It is the most important secret we have to share with the three of you," Sara added. "Without a doubt."

"This means you must heavily guard it with your life," Mia warned. "It could be completely destructive and devastating for everything we stand for if it gets found out."

"We are going to tell you… How we became mermaids and Farley became a merman…." Sara relented. "And how anyone can become one."

The three of them gasped. "So… the story you told… of being in the boat…" Lizzy began.

"Completely false. By making it seem like a random happenstance, unexplainable, it would keep the public in the dark on the true way," Sara explained.

"This knowledge would be dangerous in the wrong hands," Mia spoke. "Make sure that yours are the right hands."

"I bet you're wondering why we brought you here, to this exact spot," Sara added. "See this pool? This is what we call the Moon Pool. It is the key to becoming a mer."

"Every month, the full moon appears in the night sky. And, when it passes over the mouth of the volcano, anyone in that pool when that happens will become a mermaid or merman when they wake up the next morning," Katy explained.

"It happens without fail. It is how the previous mermaids became mermaids. It is how we became mermaids. And, it is how any future people will become mermaids," Mia added.

For the next several minutes, Sara, Mia, and Katy explained in detail how they became mermaids that fateful day six months before. They spoke about discovering what they had become the following morning. They spared little detail whenever they could, even if the details were more embarrassing such as their full moon antics. They each told their own side of how they individually dealt with being a mermaid. The three began to feel emotional when talking about the last couple months of Sara lying about doing research due to being scared, feeling as their friend group was ripping apart, and eventually leading to Sara talking about how she turned Farley into a merman. But, most importantly, they told the whole story, warts and all.

"So… what do you think?" Sara asked. "Of all this."

"Sara… I've never been accepted as a true friend like this. I… want to thank you," Lizzy spoke. "Thank you for seeing something in me that even I didn't see. I'm sorry if I seem too excitable or too enthusiastic sometimes. I'm learning to be more calm and collected. And, Sara, I want to follow your example."

"I'm glad to be included as well," Elliot spoke. "It gives me so much more perspective on what my sister went through all those years ago, and why she wanted to keep the secret from me."

"I went with Dr. Denman years ago for the adventure. Turns out, this is where the adventure is. I'm proud to be a part of this," Laura concluded. "And now I understand the pain the first mermaids went through because of her."

Sara smiled and shook each three of their hands. "Welcome all three of you to Team Mako," She spoke confidently.

 **Make sure to write a review of what you think! I respond to each and every one of them, and I'm very interested to hear what you think of the story so far as well as your predictions to where the story will go.**


	47. Chapter 46: An Offer You Can't Refuse

**Finally I'm back onto a scheduled release! I'm still trying to get these chapters out every week. For the past few months I hit a brick wall of writer's block. Plus, with the continuation of having to fix this story onto this feed, I almost got burnt out. Luckily, I'm still here and ready to bring you more content.**

 **Shout out to user swanglade37 for their motivation over the past couple weeks. I powered through the chapter that was giving me trouble, and I've got some great ideas for storylines going forward, character redemptions, and troubled waters to come. Stay tuned!**

 **Chapter 46: An Offer You Can't Refuse**

Sara yawned loudly. She tried to contain it, but it was before 7:00 am in the morning, and she had not gotten to sleep until late the previous night for Lizzy, Elliot, and Laura's initiation into Team Mako. Farley sat next to her, equally as exhausted. He grabbed the cup of iced coffee in front of him and drank it in one gulp, trying to get the caffeine into him as soon as he could. They were in the main room at Rikki's Cafe, sitting at a table with Zane and Dr. Denman. The Cafe was completely empty, as Zane had kept it closed in the morning for this special meeting. From what little info he gave Sara, an incredibly lucrative opportunity was coming their way, but he wouldn't or even couldn't explain exactly what it was. Such was Zane's way Sara figured. But she learned not to question him; he had done a great job for her. She only knew that someone was coming to give a sales pitch to Sara about something… She only had to find out what it was.

"When is the bloke gonna show up? And what is this about anyway?" Farley questioned, only slightly annoyed. He was definitely failing to be patient.

"He will be here any minute," Zane spoke. "And he will be the one to explain everything."

"Alright Zane, quit playing the pronoun game," Sara complained. "Who is this 'he' that you're talking about?"

"To be honest, I don't know much about who he is or what he wants," Zane responded. "I received a call yesterday, and the people on the line said one of their representatives was coming down here to talk to us. But, I'm not sure who or why on anything. They didn't even say what company they were calling from."

"Some manager," Sara grumbled.

"Have I not done good enough for you?" Zane questioned. "I'm giving you every opportunity I can. I'm even working with Denman, who for obvious reasons I don't trust. I made a promise to do whatever it takes to help you."

"I suppose… I'm sorry Zane. I'm just really tired," Sara admitted. "You are a good manager. Just like the last week has been stressful

"Don't worry. I understand that feeling. It..."

Zane was interrupted by a tall thin man walking through the front door. He had long dirty blonde hair, a confident stride, but a sense of melancholy deep in his eyes. "Sara Meyer," He stated when he saw her, and a warm smile spread across his face. "I'm the representative meeting you today." Sara stood up as the man approached, and she cautiously eyed him. He reached out his hand and she shook it. "My name is Benjamin McKay. It's an honor to meet you."

"It's good to meet you as well. My manager and I have been in the dark about why you are here. So, would you please enlighten us Mr. McKay," Sara spoke, returning to her seat. Mr. Mckay was obviously American, and he spoke as if a Californian accent straight out of a surfer movie clashed with the fast talking radio personalities from the 1930s.

"Of course. And, you can call me Ben. We had to wait until now to reveal to you why I'm here for discretion purposes," Ben spoke, sitting at the empty seat across from the four of them. "I am a representative for the music and media company Rally Records out of Los Angeles, and we have a fantastic opportunity for both you and Mr. Farley Davis. One of our signed artists is a man by the name of Jason Driver. Have you heard of him?"

"World Famous pop star? Got his start like some years ago with the song, 'My Life, My girl'? That Jason Driver?" Sara asked.

"Bingo. That's him. Well, his newest single is slated to release in the next few months called 'To the Ends of the Earth.' We have a huge marketing plan behind it, and it's looking to be extremely popular," Ben explained. "Hopefully it will be one of his biggest singles to date in terms of sales."

"Sounds great for your company…. But what does that have to do with us?" Farley asked.

"Well, I was getting to that. 'To the Ends of the Earth' is a love ballad about a man eagerly doing anything and sacrificing everything for the woman that he loves," Ben began. "Even willing to go 'To the Ends of the Earth' to rescue his love."

"It's a bit cliche don't you think," Sara mentioned.

"Isn't all pop music that way now? But, it pays the bills. Either way, I didn't come up with the idea, I'm not one of the ones in the writing room. Anyway, the song will be releasing simultaneously with a music video. And… our executives would offer the both of you, Sara and Farley, to be the stars of the music video to be seen by millions of people around the world. What do you think?"

Silence filled the room for several seconds as Ben Mckay's info sunk in. Soon, Sara spoke up. Sara began. "Why would you choose us?"

'You two are the famous 'mermaid couple', and apparently now you're one of the most famous couples in the world right now. Apparently, people think your relationship is the embodiment of true love. Whether or not that's true, is irrelevant. We believe that we all should capitalize on this hype while it lasts," Ben explained.

"So… Hypothetically speaking, what if we say yes today? Where do we go from here?" Farley asked.

"We would fly both you and Sara, as well as a few others of your team, on a private jet to Los Angeles where we would have around one to two weeks of shooting depending on what is necessary, and then we'd do a press conference in and around Southern California and beyond. It's a pretty standard operation. Plus, working with Rally Records, you'll get plenty of benefits and opportunities, believe me. This also includes a very large paycheck."

"I just… this is so overwhelming at the moment..." Sara spoke up. "I was only revealed publicly like four days ago. And Farley just went public yesterday. We haven't had too much time to actually step back and sort of analyze everything that's going on. And now you, a representative of a giant media corporation is offering us a lot of money to appear in a music video to be seen by millions of people all over the world. How are we supposed to even wrap our minds around that?"

"I understand your hesitation Ms. Meyer," Ben spoke kindly. "You're a seventeen year old girl who has been pushed into the public eye with little idea how to cope. You're so focused on getting the world to love you, and rightly so. Don't be discouraged, it is working. Hell, you're even a huge role model to my fifteen-year-old daughter, Anna McKay. She looks up to you and convinced me to take the trip here to see you for Rally Records. Granted, I wish I could've brought her here to see you. But alas, Rally Records wasn't going to pay for her to come. Instead, I had to leave her behind in Perdido Beach, our small home town." Ben had a far away look in his eyes before shaking his head. "I want to give you the opportunity for people to love you even more, just as my daughter loves you."

"I had no idea what I did to affect people. I was told that I was some role model for young girls. But, I really don't know why. I'm just a simple mermaid trying to make her way in the world."

"All the same, your popularity is skyrocketing right now, and I believe you must capitalize on this now while it lasts. Whether or not you wanted to become a celebrity, now is the time to realize how great you can be," Ben encouraged.

The room fell silent as Sara contemplated her options. It all fell to her. Farley was part of it, yes, but she was the mermaid. Only she could make the choice to got to California. _This is my chance. Those other unknown mermaids are in California. But… I don't know…_ "How long do I have before I need to make a decision?" Sara asked.

"I understand that this is a big deal. But, with the single coming out soon, we would need you to come to Los Angeles as soon as possible. Therefore, we would need your answer in the next twenty-four hours for us to be on schedule," Ben explained.

"Ok. Thank you, Mr. McKay. I have heard what I believe I needed to hear now," Sara responded. "Now, I would like sometime to discuss with my managers and my partner about your offer." _So little time to decide..._

Ben McKay nodded and stood up, shaking Sara's hand. "It has been a pleasure to meet you Ms. Meyer. Please consider my offer. For all the young girls out there, including my daughter, I implore you to take this opportunity. Even so, I understand that this is your life and your choice. Thank you for your time," He spoke charismatically, before setting his business card on the table. "When you decide, please give me a call. I will be happy to hear from you." And with that, he turned and strode swiftly out of the Cafe, leaving the others behind in silence.

Sara picked up the business card. "Benjamin McKay. Rally Records Brand and Business Ambassador. Sounds pretentious." She joked. Nobody really laughed. They all stayed silent. The silence continued for a minute as everybody contemplated what Ben McKay had told them all. This was a huge change for everything…

"What are you thinking Sara?" Denman asked after some time of silence.

"I mean… I have no clue. I honestly don't. How can I decide after just two minutes? This whole thing… I would have to leave Australia, head all the way California… And for how long?" Sara rambled. "Sure, he said like two weeks of filming, but then how long will the press tour last? When will this roller coaster end…"

"What is your biggest concern here?" Zane inquired. "We can at least talk through it for now. And it's good for you to voice what you're thinking."

Sara thought for a second. "I don't want my mermaid identity to become just another gimmick. They want me to be in a music video? They're just using me for my tail. I want to do more meaningful things for bullshit like this," She proclaimed. "I don't want to be some one-trick mermaid who's fifteen minutes of fame dries up in under ten minutes."

"Sara, this is what we need. We are the mermaid couple," Farley added. "This might make it seem like we are just a novelty. But… you said multiple times that you wanted to be loved by the public. It's what we've all wanted from you. It's what you've worked so hard for over the past few days. So what if we become a gimmick. If that interest dies down quickly, then we go back to living our normal lives. And besides it'll be a fun thing to do for at least the time being," Farley argued.

"Maybe. But we would have to leave everything here," Sara countered. "Blake, Mitch, Mia, Katy, and everyone to go all the way to California. We need to stick together."

"Staying away from here will keep the heat off of Mia and Katy. You need them to stay out of the spotlight for their own sake. And…" Farley glanced to Denman and Zane before beginning again more quietly, leaning toward Sara. "Remember AMK? Whoever they are, we know that they are in or near LA. That will give us a chance to possibly find whoever they are."

"That's right… This could be our chance to find whoever this is."

"If I may add something," Zane interrupted. "Sara, this is an offer you can't refuse. I don't think this will make you or your tail a 'gimmick.' Instead, this will lead to better opportunities for you. Both of you."

"But still, I'd have to leave everything behind here," Sara countered. "I…I just don't know."

"You said you would be willing to do anything to make people love you. It seems to me that this is another opportunity to do just that," Denman added.

Sara stood up. "You're right. You're all right. I get it. But… I can barely focus right now. The past few days have been… Chaotic to say the least. I need a moment to think. I haven't really gotten one since Marian revealed me. I'll be back soon," She announced. She turned, and headed out the front door of the Cafe. She didn't want to leave them all behind. But, she needed time alone to meditate herself. And so, she knew where she needed to go.

A few mingling groups of people stood around the Cafe. They were all waiting for it to open for the day. It was a huge tourist draw now that not only a mermaid but a merman had both been revealed there. It took all of half a second for a couple groups to notice her take two steps out of the Cafe. "Hey! It's her!" someone shouted.

 _Fuck this._ Sara moaned to herself, and broke into a quick jog, heading straight for the water. They didn't have a chance to catch her, as the water's edge was too near to her. Sara quickly reached it within a few seconds and dove over the side, leaving shocked onlookers behind her, who quickly popped a few photos of her disappearing beneath the surface.

Sara merely ignored it and raced away. The worries seemed to melt away as she swam out toward sea. With no hesitation, she was headed for the Moon Pool: the only place she felt at peace, as the war raged inside her mind.

She emerged from the Moon Pool some minutes later resting her elbows on the edge. _So this is it…_ She thought to herself. _I'd be leaving behind my best friends to venture into the unknown. Would it be for a few weeks? A few months? Would I be subject to the Hollywoo grindstone like every other goddamn celebrity? Mia, Katy… Heck, even Lizzy. How would they cope without me?_ _I…_

Sara's thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance behind her. She turned around to see Farley emerge from the center of the pool and make his way toward the edge next to Sara. "I had a feeling you would come here," He spoke. "It's the only place I know where you would feel at peace enough to actually calm your mind."

"You know me too well," Sara responded. She sighed, then stared out into space. "I don't know what to think about this whole thing."

"Being revealed in general? Or is this more specifically about the opportunity in California?" Farley spoke.

"A little of both I think. I'm tired Farley. Everything comes down to me. Even your reveal was my fault. If Mia and Katy get revealed, it'll be due to my mistakes…."

"Don't you ever say that. I'm with you always. Mia and Katy are with you as well. Don't think for a second that I or we would ever consider hating you for this. We know the risks of what we are."

Sara turned to him and smiled. "How in the hell are you still by my side after everything that's happened? I lied to you about working with Denman, turned you into a merman, and that all led to you being revealed.. And yet, you're still here."

Farley seemed taken aback by the question. He blinked a few times, somewhat confused. "I guess… When I lived in Brisbane, I felt like there was nothing exciting about my life, like I was wasting my high school years away. Yeah, I know I'm still young and there's so much ahead of me, but that's besides the point. Then I came here and met you. Sure, I had a crush on you. I've had a crush on girls before. But, then I saw you as a mermaid and everything changed. You weren't just a normal girl, you were, what I thought of at the time, an amazing mythological creature."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't explain anything, especially since you thought I was some creature," she joked.

"Hold on. I'm still getting there. And that was before I found out you weren't like a mythical whatever, but a normal American girl with a tail," Farley corrected. "Anyway, you seemed so awesome and I wanted to date you. It gave me something exciting to work for, rather than some mundane and boring life I felt like I had back in Brisbane. That's when I went to Blake, and you know the rest of the story. But, in all that time, you were always amazing. I told you how much I love you. And through all the ups and downs, you've still been there too, by my side. Even when you were lying about Denman, you were doing it to protect all of us, even when you risked losing it all. And that's why you are amazing. And that's why I am still here by your side."

"Stop… You're gonna make me cry," Sara replied, a tear forming in her eye. "So… where do we go from here."

"I think you know what you need to do," Farley spoke.

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Sara stood in Zane's office in the Cafe. Zane, Farley, Denman, and Laura were standing around her, ready to give moral support. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Zane asked.

"Am I sure? Not at all. But I think it's the best thing for me right now," Sara admitted.

"Then do it. We're all behind you," Denman added. "And Zane and I are beginning to work together. Take it as a sign of our solidarity with you."

"I might only be a minion," Laura joked, "But I'm loyal to whatever you do."

Sara looked at Farley. "Don't question my loyalty. I will always be here for you," He spoke. "Don't you ever doubt it."

Sara smiled and picked up her phone, dialing a number. After a few rings, a familiar voice was on the other side. "Hello?"

"Benjamin Mckay, this is Sara Meyer. I just wanted to let you know…. I'm in."

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Three figures watched the setting sun over the Pacific waters. The Californian coast was unusually cold that day, despite being warmer than most of the country. The leader stepped forward. "I'm sure you've heard the news report by now," she spoke confidently. "Sara Meyer has officially accepted the offer of Rally Records and will be coming here to California."

The tall one jumped off the rock she was sitting on. "So we might actually get to meet her after all… I'm not sure if that's really good or really bad."

"It'll be good. I'm sure of it. You have to trust me!" the leader argued.

The third one jumped to her feet. "Trust you? Ha!" She chastised. "Last time that happened we got tails. I'm not so sure about if this Sara girl can actually trust us."

"Don't get cold feet now," The leader spat. "We all agreed to do this."

"Cold feet? Not at all… But still, I'm worried about it. If we tell her, she'll be the first one to know our secret, in a world where being a mermaid is a big fucking deal."

The leader sighed. "I know. But… It's what we need. We don't know anything about our condition… Either way, I'll use my connection at Rally to get through to her."

"Just as long as she figures out that you are the mysterious 'AMK,' the tall one joked.

"Ok, maybe I was a bit too cryptic on that one," the leader joked. "Either way. Mark my words, I will find her. I have to. For the three of us in this chaotic world, I will make sure to get through to her. We mermaids need to be united. Or else… I fear the world could turn against us."

 **Just wanted to make sure you guys knew that I didn't forget about the "new mermaids." They're still waiting, and they will be revealed in the near future! Make sure to write a review about the story! If you've been following the story for a while without writing something, let me know what you think! I love to hear from readers I haven't heard from. Gives me a good perspective on my writing that I hadn't seen before. Until next chapter!**


	48. Chapter 47: Goodbye Isn't Forever

**Chapter 47: Goodbye isn't Forever**

The big day had arrived…

Sara knew she wasn't ready for the big trip to California. But, she knew it was what she had to do. When she woke up that morning, a sense of anxiety washed over her, and she covered herself up with her blanket again, trying to shield herself from the negative thoughts.

But, this is what she needed to do. She forced herself up and out of bed. Shoving the negative thoughts aside, she got ready, dressing as best as she could. _I need to do this. I may be leaving my new home, my good friends, and my beautiful Mako Island. But, I need to. To find the new mermaids, to get people to love me, and to make sure that everything works out, I need to do this._

She slowly made her way downstairs to the kitchen to see her parents nervously pacing around. They weren't going to Los Angeles with Sara, and thus had to stay behind. Their daughter was going on to bigger and better things without them. There was a strong sense of pride behind their sadness. "How are you feeling?" Karen asked, doing her best to remain composed.

"Best as I can feel right now. I'm kinda excited though. This is what I know I need to," Sara affirmed.

"Remember Sara, we are always behind you no matter what," Paul spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I will always remember that. You two are the best parents a young mermaid could ask for," Sara spoke.

The three of them stepped forward, embracing each other in a group hug. This would be one of the last times they all saw each other for at least a few weeks. And as they knew, that time would be slow and deliberate. But, Sara needed to venture forth, away from her parents and into a new and uncertain future. But she was prepared for it.

Sara quickly left her house toward the large limousine parked outside her house. _Rally Records really know how to be eccentric_. She commented. She jumped in shock as photographers popped out from all directions, snapping multiple pictures of her. Steeling herself, preparing for the world, she continued forward and into the back seat of the limo without blinking.

Farley was already in the limousine, grinning like a fucking idiot. Since their houses were across the street, they were picked up the same time. "Why are you so happy?" Sara questioned, raising an eyebrow as the limousine rolled away from their houses.

"We're off on another adventure!" He joked.

Sara just rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I love your enthusiasm, but whatever the case may be, this is serious. In an hour we're going to be wheels up and out of Gold Coast. Hell, you haven't even left Australia in your entire life yet!"

"Eh… I'll get on with it. We're only going to the US, your homeland. We've got Zane and Denman with us. I will be fine. We will be fine." Farley added.

"Where did you get all this confidence and enthusiasm all of a sudden? You're like a weird combination of Blake, Lizzy, and Katy all wrapped into one," Sara noted.

"What can I say? I can't change anything that's happened. But now, I don't have to feel guilty about you being public. We can be together and take on the world. No one is going to change that," Farley proclaimed. Sara nodded and smiled at Farley. They were an odd couple. But Sara wouldn't have it any other way.

The rest of the way to the airport continued in relative silence as the driver of the limo took them through the streets of Gold Coast to a special entrance at the terminal. After showing their IDs, they were let out onto the tarmac, heading to a special hanger where Rally Records' was parking their jet.

A small group of people were gathered around the slick black jet, with Rally Records' logo painted on the tail fin. No reporters were allowed at this gathering. This was strictly for only those close to Sara and Farley, to say their goodbyes.

The Limo slowed to a stop near thet jet. Sara stepped out and into the waiting bear hug of Mia and Katy, with Blake and Mitch standing behind their girlfriends just laughing. Lizzy stepped up next and squeezed Sara. "I wish you weren't leaving," she added. "We were just beginning to become good friends."

"Don't you worry Lizzy. We'll still be friends," Sara smiled.

"Hey now, you can make new friends, just keep the old," Mia joked.

"Cuz one is silver and the other's gold," Katy continued the joke.

"I'm gonna miss you two the most of course," Sara added. "We belong together. No matter what. You are my best friends. I will be back as soon as I can."

"Don't become one of those pretentious Hollywood twats on us. We'll keep you humble and grounded," Mia added.

"Don't worry, the Nebraskan in me hates the pretentious people of Hollywood. So, you don't need to fret about me," Sara added.

"Just come back to us in one piece," Katy joked.

Sara moved on to Elliott, giving him a hug, much to his surprise. "Keep them all in line will ya?"

"I'll do my best Captain Mermaid," Elliot joked, putting on a mock salute. "Thank you for convincing me to reconnect with my sister. I needed that."

"To be fair, I was the one to remind you that I was still a human, despite being a mermaid," Sara added. "But still, you've come a long way Elliot. And I'm proud of you."

"It was wonderful to be friends with you Sara. Good luck with everything."

Sara nodded and returned to Farley's side. Just then Ben McKay stepped out of the jet. "So, we are taking five of you. Sara, Farley, your managers Zane Bennett and Linda Denman, and your assistant Laura Collins. Are all of you ready?" Ben asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Sara joked as she and Farley stepped up to where Denman, Zane, and Laura were already standing. Sara looked across at the faces of Mia, Blake, Katy, Elliot, Mitch, and Lizzy. They were some of her best friends, but she knew she had to leave them behind, if only for the time being.

"Time to load up!" Ben announced.

Sara couldn't help herself, a few tears escaped her eyes and down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with her arm. Mia stepped up and placed an arm and Sara's shoulder. "Hey, look at me. This goodbye isn't forever. You will return to us. Don't you cry on us.. We'll be fine here. You go and live your life. Wherever you go, whatever you do, we will support you," Mia spoke confidently, consoling Sara.

"I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you. But thank you. All of you," Sara spoke outwardly.

"Don't mention it," Katy replied. "Now go make us proud!"

"I hate to say it, Sara, but we must be taking off soon to keep to our flight plan," Ben added, sounding impatient yet understanding.

Sara hugged each of her friends once again, even adding ones for Mitch and Blake before returning to Farley's side. This was the last chance to see them all in person for some time, and Sara wanted to savor the moment. "Goodbye to you all. And good luck without me!" She called as she followed Zane, Denman, Farley, and Laura up the stairs into the plane, taking one last look behind her at her waving friends. Then she stepped back into the plane and the steps were raised and the door closed, leaving Sara in silence.

Sara sighed a long sigh. _Well… This was it… I'm leaving them all behind._ She turned toward everyone else and furrowed her brow. The interior of the plane was emmaculate with leather bound chairs, white with a golden trim. They were spread throughout the plane, giving each passenger seemingly endless personal space. Ben, Laura, Zane, Denman, and Farley were taking seats toward the middle of the private jet, settling in for taxiing and take off.

Sara took a seat next to Farley. He looked at her and smiled, which she returned in kind. Sara reached down and grabbed Farley's hand and held it dearly. They were in this together, no matter what happened.

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When they were safely at cruising altitude, the pilot shut off the seat belt sign. Ben McKay stood up from his seat and sauntered over to a gathering of chairs in a semicircle around a small table more toward the rear of the plane. "Now that we have some time, we can discuss more in depth some of the details," he explained.

Sara looked at Farley, but he just shrugged. Sara rolled her eyes jokingly and stood up, following Ben toward the back of the plane. "I hope you've got everything all planned out for us," Sara quipped as she sat down across from Ben. Zane, Denman, Laura and Farley all filed in as well.

"You may laugh, but Rally Records is very thorough in its scheduling. We want to make sure that everything goes according to plan without exhausting our guests such as yourself. Don't worry, you will for sure have free time to explore Los Angeles and the surrounding areas," Ben added. "Besides it's hard to keep a mermaid down."

"What will you have us doing?" Denman asked, gesturing to Zane and Laura. "We are not part of the filming, obviously, and I would like to know as co-manager of both Sara and Farley."

"For you all, you will be 'consultants' to say the very least. Basically, you are going to be the liasons on set between the Sara and Farley and the Executives and Directors of Rally Records," Ben spoke.

"Sounds boring," Laura joked. "I'm only here to do the manual labor jobs for Zane and Linda anyway."

"Well you still are an important member of the team anyway," Denman responded. "Don't worry, Laura, you're still my lovely intern."

"Ha, and I only thought I was invited on this trip because I'm an American citizen and I can get through customs easier," Laura chuckled.

"In any case," Zane interrupted, trying to change the subject, "What's the music video going to look like? We just know it's some random music video for some random song. Not to disrespect, as Rally Records has shown to be very legitimate. But, even so, we should know what it will entail."

"It's good that you are asking now. There wouldn't be much I could reveal to you before, as this was somewhat of a secret. But now that you're on board, no pun intended, we can go into more detail."

"Good, just to make sure we're all on the same page," Sara responded. "You've been somewhat cryptic about everything."

"All necessary for copyright sake. Rally Records has forced me to be withholding of some information. But, besides that, we shall get into more of what will be going down, as well as the story of the music video," Ben began.

"Good, what can you tell us Mr. McKay?" Denman asked.

"Basically, how the music video will begin is Sara's character is kidnapped as a mermaid…"

"Fucking great way to start," Sara deadpanned. "One of my biggest fears being amplified to a huge audience."

"There's a point to this," Ben snapped back quickly. "We show Sara's character in capture in a government building being in pain, depressed, with plenty of close ups showing the sadness on your face, showing that you feel negative emotions. It will help those watching to empathize not only with your character in the music video, but also with you as a person as well. Believe me, the last thing we want to do is fetishize one of your most terrible fears."

"I… ok…" Sara spoke softly, not having a response ready. "What next?"

"Well, then we cut to Farley's character breaking in and fighting his way through the facility where you're being kept. He shoots his way into where you're being kept, killing the evil scientist wanting to run experiments. Then, there's a tender reunion scene where you share a kiss and a sweet moment with the song on pause. After that, his character hands Sara's a gun, and they both fight through the facility, placing explosives as they go. Lastly the both of you jump into the sea as the facility explodes behind you, and the two of you swim out together, hand in hand. And then, the song ends, with Chris Driver's vocals fading out."

"Sounds a bit, camp, don't you think?" Farley questioned.

"It's a love story about a couple's dedication to each other in dire circumstances. It's supposed to be a happy ending. That's how we sell the most song downloads," Ben countered. "This is what you're being hired on for. If you wish to change or alter aspects of it, you will have to take it up with the producers."

"Ok. I do like it, don't get me wrong here. I think it's a good start for us," Farley finished.

"What do you think Sara?" Ben asked.

"Well, I definitely think it's a good, if, like Farley said, campy story. But, still, as long as you don't, fetishize my fears, then I do think I can take part in it," Sara spoke.

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Sara awoke with a start, tossing and turning about in her chair. It took a minute to fully get her mind to kickstart. She opened her eyes to see the airline seat in front of her. In an instant, a clear as crystal a flashback hit her, overwhelming her with emotion.

 _I was just arriving in Gold Coast. Angry, confused, and still unsure of what Australia would bring me. At the time, I had contempt for her parents and forcing me to leave Gibbon far behind. It wasn't until meeting Mia and Katy that it all changed…. Looking back so long… So many things happened in all those months. And here I am, flying in a private jet to California, a celebrity in my own right. What will this mean? I don't know…_ Sara pondered in her head.

Sara looked left at Farley, staring out the window. He turned to see her. "Hey, you're finally awake. I was wondering how long you'd be sleeping. Probably, with the week you've had, you needed a long time to sleep. Either way, we just touched down at LAX," He spoke.

"How long was I out?" Sara asked, yawning in the middle of the sentence.

"Hmm…. At least six hours or so. I was also sleeping in and out during that time, so I'm not entirely sure," Farley responded. "You fell asleep not long after we refueled in Hawaii.

Sara looked out down the aisle. In front of her, toward the cockpit, Ben McKay stood up and stretched. Yawning as well, he turned back to face Sara. "Well, Sara, are you ready?" Ben asked, a smile on his face.

Sara stood up as well. "As I've said multiple times over the past week, it really doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. This is my life now, so I've gotta do what I gotta do."

Ben nodded. "Well, it looks like this is. Welcome to California, Sara Meyer."

 **I hoped you loved this chapter. It is kinda an end of an era. Sara has to leave her friends behind and go on to bigger and better things. Let me know what you think though!**


	49. Chapter 48: This Acting Thing

**Chapter 48:This Acting Thing**

"CUT!" Director Ichiro Tokugawa yelled loudly, shocking Sara to alertness. The jet lag was just beginning to set in, much to her chagrin. They all hadn't had time to get any rest in at the luxury hotel they were put up in, as within hours of landing in Los Angeles, they were all currently on set. They had landed in LA at 5 am and got at least some amount of sleep at the hotel though before they had to arrive at set 1 pm. Finally on set Sara and Farley had been given a crash course in acting. It wasn't much, but they would be coached through much of their scenes anyway.

They were filming the opening scene, which from what the script had shown was basically before the song even started in the actual music video. Sara had been tied down with leather strips to a metal bench that looked like an evil dentist's chair, yet it felt extremely uncomfortable. It gave her some amount of claustrophobia and anxiety being tied to a chair. But, she knew that was the whole point of the scene; to make her character seem completely stressed and racked with anxiety. It didn't help that she was in mermaid form, completely open to everyone in the goddamn room. That certainly helped Sara's feeling of timidity a lot more.

The actor playing the mad scientist doing experiments on her character stood above her, his snear suddenly turning to annoyance. Everyone in the room turned to Director Tokugawa and raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was going to say next. He was apparently one of the best music video directors in all of LA.

Director Tokugawa waited a moment, scratching his graying beard. "Mr. Jackson Therren," He spoke calmly, only a slight hint of a Japanese accent. The mad scientist actor nodded twice. "You are being too, how you say… cartoonish with your playing of the villain. Your character is motivated by money and arrogance. Use that to your advantage. Real characters have real motivations for their actions, while cartoons have no reason to act as they do."

"Yes, Director Tokugawa," Jackson spoke, bowing softly, trying to show reverence for the Japanese man.

"Ok. Everyone, back to places," Tokugawa announced. When everyone was prepared again, he shouted "Action!"

Jackson sneered down at Sara in character as the filming began once again. Sara focused all her thoughts to negative emotion and pain, an easy task considering all she had to do was focus on the feeling she felt when she was revealed. The mad scientist turned away from her. "My dear mermaid, you are going to make me very rich. If only I felt sympathy for you, but you are merely an animal. I will feel no sadness when I cut into you," he bragged, brandishing a fake knife.

Sara angrily stared daggers at the mad scientist. People around the world would think of her like that, just an animal. She knew it was only acting, but the emotion felt real. The pain felt real. The feelings of rage welled up inside her, and she seethed, breathing erratically due to the anger and anxiety.

The mad scientist calmly walked back toward Sara, leaning over her. He put a grimy hand against her cheek. "Enjoy your last day of free life, if you even know how to experience emotion," he spoke, his face merely inches from hers.

Sara did the only thing she could think to do, even though it wasn't in the script. She spit directly into the other actor's face. Nobody moved. Jackson was taken aback, but he remained in character. Slowly, he wiped away Sara's saliva off of his cheek and flung it on to ground. "Hmpph…" he steamed, turning away. "Pitiful."

"CUT!" Director Tokugawa shouted again. He stepped out of his director's chair and walked onto the set, in a calm yet confident demeanor, bordering on arrogance. He stared down at Sara. "Most impressive Ms. Meyer. Being able to improvise in character with so little acting experience is very good."

"I just did what felt… right," Sara stammered, unsure how the director would respond.

"We are going to use that take I believe. Yes. Well done everyone, let's get a fifteen minute break and be back to filming soon," Tokugawa announced. "We are already ahead of schedule."

A scrambling of activity happened as crew members moved cameras and lighting equipment around. A few assistants came up to Sara and helped undo her restraints on the chair, with another passing a towel to Sara so she could dry off and let her legs reappear. Sara sat up and vigorously began to dry herself off. She wanted to get back into her legs as soon as possible. She still got the fish out of water feeling every time she was in her tail on dry land.

She noticed Jackson leaning against the counter, happy for a rest. "Hey," she spoke to him, getting his attention. "I'm sorry for spitting in your face. You played the mad scientist terrifyingly realistic, and I just felt angry enough to spit in your face."

Jackson chuckled, "Don't sweat it kid. That was pretty good. And that action made my acting look good too. Plus, we're done with the scene now. That makes it so much better than having to redo it over and over again."

At that moment, Sara's legs returned, and she hopped down to the ground. "Thanks for thinking I did good. I know nothing about acting," Sara admitted.

"You're learning it. Just keep at it. Experience is key." Then he turned away and walked toward his people. Sara shrugged and hopped off the set, walking toward Farley, Zane, Laura, and Denman who were standing farther away. Each of them had a stupid grin on their faces, making Sara feel embarrassed as she maneuvered her way over to the group of them.

"What's up…" Sara spoke softly to the group, now wanting to make all the eye contact.

"What do you mean? That was great!" Zane exclaimed. "We'll make an actress out of you yet."

"Do you really think it was that good?" Sara pondered.

"Sara… you spit in the man's face. That was so defiant and amazing acting, exactly how you would act in that situation if it were real," Denman noted.

"I thought it was great too. Even though I know next to nothing about acting as well…" Farley joked.

"Do you really think it was that good? I mean… this acting thing is weird. I don't know if it's something I like or not yet. It's just something I have to do," Sara spoke.

"One of these days, when you're not worried about wanting to be accepted as a mermaid, you'll learn to enjoy everything that comes with your new life. It just might take some time. But it will happen," Laura explained, encouraging Sara.

"Thanks for the wise words, minion," Sara teased.

"Hey now. I figured that now that we're friends you would drop the whole minion thing," Laura fired back.

"Too late! You're the minion," Sara continued the joke. Laura merely shook her head and chuckled along with the rest of the group.

Sara looked off to the side and noticed Ben McKay talking with a young black girl, at least a foot shorter than he was. She seemed to be a touch younger than Sara, but she wasn't exactly sure at first glance. Ben looked out and noticed Sara staring off at them, and he enthusiastically beckoned her over. The girl he was with was beaming from ear to ear.

Sara cocked her head to the side, somewhat confused, but she still sauntered over to the two of them, stopping in front. "Good to see you Sara," Ben spoke. "Are you having a good first day on set?"

"It's a bit hectic… But, I think it's going really well," Sara replied, stealing glances at the girl still fixating her gaze on Sara.

"That's excellent to hear. Now, I would like to introduce you to someone special. Sara Meyer, I would like you to meet my daughter, Anna," Ben introduced them.

Sara looked up at Ben who had tall, fair skin, and golden blond hair, and then down to Anna who had dark skin, dark hair, and was much shorter. They couldn't have been more opposite from each other. Sara reached out her hand to shake Anna's, still wondering how they could be father and daughter.

"You seem confused," Anna spoke, her voice cheery yet somehow mysterious.

"I mean… I'm sorry, but you two don't look like you're related at all," Sara admitted.

Anna chuckled. "That's ok, I completely understand. Before you ask, yes I am adopted."

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to offend Ben and Anna. "Well, that makes more sense now. It is a pleasure to meet you Anna. Your father tells me you're a big fan of mine," Sara replied in a much more relaxed tone.

Ben's phone rang, and he stepped aside, nodding to both of the girls as he took the call and walked away. "You're just awesome…" Anna spoke. "A real life mermaid! I couldn't hardly believe it when you went public."

"It's odd to think I'm some kind of role model. I'm just a normal, mermaid, person... girl… whatever..," Sara added. "But in any case, thank you."

"I'm just happy I got to meet my idol and they don't turn out to be some pretentious douche," Anna bantered.

"Too many are like that right?" Sara agreed, "That's why I want to be humble. Plus, I'm not a big fan of the public life anyway."

"Well, I'm sorry if I seem starstruck though. But, I was hoping we could be friends?" Anna trailed off. "I'm sorry… That's too forward… I know you're like here for my dad. But still..."

Sara smiled. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You seem really nice and genuine. I'm not sure if we will become friends or not, but I want to try," she responded.

Anna smiled as well, and Sara felt an odd connection between her and Anna. It was weird, too weird. It was if she could sense something in Anna that was special. But, everytime Sara tried to think about it, she couldn't place why she was feeling that way. It was an almost sisterly connection with Anna.

Sara shook it off. "So, where are you from, originally?" Sara asked. "I don't mean to pry, and I'm not adopted so I don't know about… what that's like for you."

"It's ok," Anna reassured her. "I was born sixteen years ago in Sudan, or technically what is now South Sudan. My real parents died in the following weeks after I was born due to the war…"

"I'm so sorry…" Sara trailed off.

"Don't be. It sounds really sad I know, but I don't have any memories of who they were. I was too young. I was eventually rescued by UN relief officers who saved my life. Anyway, I eventually found my way to Ben and his wife at the time, Sam, who after a long time of trying, adopted me and I've been here in California ever since. Ever since Sam died five years ago in a car accident, it's just been me and Ben, my father. We've stuck together through thick and thin. So… That's my life story in a minute long summary. What do you think?"

Sara was aghast. This girl had such a long, complex, and heartbreaking story. "You've had a very rough life. But, it seems as though you fought through it all of the way. Maybe you should be my role model," Sara spoke.

Anna beamed. "Thank you Sara. It means a lot coming from you."

"All actors return to set!" A call came over the speaker, interrupting their conversation.

"Ah shit. Well, back to it," Sara complained. She pulled out her phone quickly and handed it to Anna. "Here, put your number into it. Let's talk more while I'm here in LA."

"Really? Awesome!" Anna exclaimed and furiously put her number into Sara's phone and handed it back. "Good luck!" and Anna walked back over to where Ben was standing.

Sara looked down at the phone in her hand. "Anna McKay" shown brightly up at her. Something was nagging in the back of her mind…. There was something familiar about her name but Sara couldn't place. She pocketed the phone and headed back toward the set, her mind clouded by the seeming mysteries.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Over the next few hours, there was a nagging feeling in the pit of Sara's stomach. Something about Anna seemed off. There was the unexplained feeling Sara felt when talking to Anna, yet she couldn't explain it. Something was definitely off about her...

Her acting scenes weren't that hard, and she just had to look terrified and indignant multiple times, and that was mostly it. The shooting wrapped up in a few hours, and soon they were beginning to return to tear down the set and store all the equipment, as the working day was ending.

Now that Sara had some free time to think, she went off to the side and sat down, watching the other workers finishing up the last of their tasks. Farley strode over and sat next to her. "I saw you talking to the young black girl earlier today. She seemed really excited to talk to you. It was your first actual fan interaction. I think it's cute," he teased.

"Maybe… Farley, there's something about her… I just can't put my finger on it," Sara spoke out into empty space.

"What do you mean?" Farley questioned.

"When I first talked to her, I felt this strange feeling fill me. I can't explain it. It wasn't any kind of feeling I've felt before then maybe with Mia and Katy, which is weird I had that kind of connection with Anna, despite just meeting her now," Sara explained. "And even weirder, when I added her my phone, I saw her name and somehow it looked familiar. But, for the life of me, I have no god damn clue why I felt that way. Had I met her before?"

"Let me see the name," Farley asked. Sara shrugged and opened the phone to Anna's contact and handed the phone to Farley. He looked it up and down for a solid moment, but at the end he just shrugged and handed the phone back. "I don't know what you see in it. I'm sorry. I don't recognize it."

"It's ok," Sara sighed. She looked at the name again. _Anna McKay. What is about this name I can't place._ She pondered to herself. _The only thing odd I can see is that the 'K' is capitalized in the middle of the word like the old Scottish names. Like the 'M' and the 'A'. But… Wait…_ "No no no no no no no no…. It can't be…."

Farley perked up. "What? What's wrong?"

Sara thrust the phone into Farley's face. "What three letters are capitalized in her name?" Sara questioned Farley.

"It's 'A', 'M', and 'K'. I don't know why you…." A look of dread spread across Farley's face as he felt the realization wash over him. "It's AMK. She's the one…."

Sara nodded, her face a ghostly white. "Anna is the one who wrote me the letter…. She's…. Another one of us… And possibly a couple of her friends too."

"Are you absolutely sure? It could be bad if you accused her and it isn't true."

"I know I know! What other clues did the letter say?"

"I think… Something about finding them on a lost beach?"

"Right… Wait, where did Ben say he Anna were from? He said…"

"I think it was Perdido Beach," Farley stated.

"That doesn't make it the Lost Beach though. Unless… Oh Shit, Perdido means lost in Spanish," Sara confirmed. "It has to be her."

"Then… you have to confront her then if true…"

"Agreed. I need to do this… Now…" Sara affirmed. Before Farley could protest, Sara leapt to her face and walked briskly over to where Anna and Ben were conversing. She assertively stepped up into their conversation. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry Mr. McKay, but can I please have a word with Anna?"

"Of course!" Ben exclaimed. "Don't allow me to hold you back." And, he stepped away.

"What's up?" Anna asked confused.

"Come on. We need somewhere private to talk," Sara commanded, leading Anna away from the main set area and into a back storage room where their wouldn't be any eavesdroppers.

"Sara… What's going on? Why are you acting so… weird?" Anna questioned, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against an unused trash can.

Sara sighed. "I'm just gonna fucking say it. I… know who you are… what you are… You are the infamous AMK are you not? You sent me that cryptic letter to my house! You are like me! Well, what do you say?" Sara accused.

Anna looked shocked at first, then it turned warm to a more happy smile. "So… you actually got my letter… I was wondering if it would work.."

Sara looked straight at Anna, piercing gaze drilling into her skull. "Well, Ms. Anna McKay, looks like you left a few extremely important details out of your life story. We are going to need to have a nice long chat…" Sara proclaimed. "There is so much more to this than you think…" Sara looked down at the girl, who's happy smile turned almost ghastly. She had done it. She had found the mysterious AMK. Now the only question was what the hell she was going to do now.

 **And the other mermaids have been revealed! Well kinda. We now though Anna is one. Congrats to Rock Mint Swirl 22 who predicted it just from Anna's first name. Leave a review on what you think!**


	50. Chapter 49: Mermaid World Part 1

**Chapter 49: Mermaid World Part 1**

Sara stared out the window of the black sedan she was riding in. To state the obvious, she was incredibly nervous. It was the weekend, and so she was free from her acting work. But… It wasn't a free day at all her for her and Farley. She had found the mysterious AMK, who turned out to be the young Anna McKay, the daughter of the man who convinced her to come to California in the first place. Yet, did he even know about his daughter being a mermaid?

A billion questions swirled through her head. Anna was a mermaid, that much was obvious now, but who were the other two mermaids as well? There were three mentioned in her letter. How did they all become mermaids? What does this mean for everything Sara was working for? Either way, Sara hoped, and needed, to find out the answers. Anna had only given Sara a location to meet them all at, a secretive one, away from prying eyes. So, that's where she and Farley were headed to. Obviously Anna was into spy or mystery fiction with the cryptic letter and mysterious location.

Farley grabbed her hand calmly, clasping it with both his palms, breaking her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Hey. Are you feeling alright?" He asked, looking deeply into her eyes. His eyes were surprisingly calm and determined. Just as how they usually were.

Sara sighed, turning away from Farley, the thoughts still raging in her mind. "I don't know. Fuck… Farley, like what am I supposed to think!" She gestured toward the driver silently, trying to signal to keep their conversation vague and quiet as to not alert him to what they were actually talking about.

"Sara. You need to relax. You've got to be their… Teacher now. You are going to be what Cleo, Bella, and Rikki were to you. Show them your ways and how you do what you do."

"But, what do I even say to them?"

"They obviously look up to you. Just be yourself!"

"Says the guy who changed his entire personality and lifestyle to get with me," Sara joked.

Farley chuckled. "Ok Fine. Fair enough. Be yourself, but the best version of yourself. I'm changing it to that. But still. We'll be fine. I'm right behind you."

"But still… I guess I need to improvise how I approach. I'll know more when we get to wherever the hell we're going," Sara concluded reluctantly. "Because right now, I don't know where they even are in their mermaid journey."

Another half hour of driving passed before they reached the small suburb of Perdido Beach, a quaint town crammed between the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. On the far side of the small town, Sara instructed the driver to stop outside a small cliffside angling down toward the ocean water below. A small rickety wooden stairway, seemingly decades old, clung to the slightly steep cliffside, meandering down toward the beach below. "Are you sure this is it Ms. Meyer?" the driver asked.

"Yes thank you. I'll be fine for now. I'll give you a call when I need picked up again." Sara spoke as she and Farley exited the vehicle.

"Ok, stay safe you two!" The driver called out to them before he put the car in drive and whizzed away, leaving Farley and Sara alone on the secluded cliffside. Sara shuddered and began to feel doubts circling around her. But, she shoved them aside and maintained composure. She needed to be a leader now.

"Well, now where do we go?" Farley asked once the driver was off in the distance. He surveyed the area around them.

"I think down to the beach," Sara spoke as she cautiously began to descend the stairs and onto the sand. Farley shrugged, following Sara the whole way. Once they hit the beach, they walked along it, paralleling the ocean. That was at least part of Anna's instructions, cryptic as they were. It was a gamble for sure, meeting three possible mermaids way out here in the middle of nowhere, in a suburb of Los Angeles so small that few would know about it. But, Sara knew that these girls would need her help, no matter what happened. And at the very least, Sara and Farley still had their powers. So, if the whole thing turned into a trap to capture them or worse, they had one more thing up their sleeves to fall back on.

They rounded a cliff face and saw, thirty yards out, a small rock formation jutting up from the beach. Against it rested three figures. Sara immediately recognized Anna, her dark skin contrasting against the light tones of the stone. Anna jumped to her feet explosively and enthusiastically upon seeing Sara and Farley with a bright smile on her face. She motioned back to the two others who stood up as well. Then, the three of them started jogging toward Sara and Farley as they approached. Sara saw the other two girls on closer inspection as they got closer together. The one on Anna's left had dark brown hair and tan skin, she had a look of passion and sternness about her, a look of power and earnest. To Anna's right was a girl with pale skin and light blond hair and blue eyes, and she was incredibly tall as well, cresting over six feet at least. She was a mix of Anna's glee and the other's serious expression, almost skeptical of anything and everything. _Well, this is it. Time to be the mentor this time. I just hope six months of being a mermaid is enough to set them on the right path._

The groups stopped about five yards apart. For a moment, nobody moved or breathed. Sara and Farley stood on one side, determined and poised. They had been through the ringer and were ready for anything. The other three girls were more defensive, shielding themselves. They seemed scared and flighty, unknowing what the future held. Only Anna seemed generally enthusiastic, although she herself seemed intimidated by Sara.

"You made it…" Anna spoke softly. "You actually came!"

"And here we are," Sara responded passively. "So, Anna. Looks like you have a lot to explain for yourself."

"I… I'm sorry for being so cryptic in my letter… Sara, but… you have no idea how much it means to me… to us, that you're here right now," Anna acknowledged.

"Well, being a mermaid means so much more than what you might think… I'm just here to set you on the right path," Sara stated to the three of them. "My guess is that you really don't know what you've gotten yourselves into, which is why you've reached out to me. So, I'm going to help you, whether like it or not."

"Right… of course you are," the tan girl groveled in a slight hispanic accent, "From the official reports you have been a mermaid for only six months at most. What makes you think you have the skills to tell us how to live and act?"

Sara looked back at Farley at the angry retort from one of the girls and they began to laugh. Sara immediately remembered, all those months ago, when Bella, Cleo, and Rikki first showed up in the moon pool. That same angry reaction was so familiar, as it was almost a word for word recreation of Mia's angry rant. It was so spot on that Sara couldn't help but continue laughing. "What's so funny?" The tall girl stepped forward, trying to defend her friend.

Sara smirked and turned to face the three of them. "You all remind me of myself and some… friends of mine… Rebellious, free spirit, and suspicious of outside help. You all want to figure this all out for yourself. I completely understand that. That is all I will say about that for now."

"What are you getting at…" Anna trailed off.

"I can't talk about a lot of things I know. There are many secrets I can't talk about," Sara responded. "I don't know you three. I assume you all are mermaids like me. But I can't reveal some information right now because there are some implications that I would rather not talk about right now."

"Come on! We asked you to come here, yet you're still gonna hide so much from us," The tall girl retorted. "You sound like a god damn politician.

"This is a waste of time. Why did we want her to even come here in the first place? I doubt she has anything we need!" The hispanic girl exclaimed, beginning to doubt Anna's leadership.

A tinge of anger pierced Sara. After all this time, they wouldn't listen to her. She needed to demonstrate a show of force. Only then would she get through to the girls. Sara turned to Farley who nodded, backing her up. She focused on her powers, and felt the magic coursing through her. A breeze started blowing across the beach as Sara focused, but it got bigger and bigger, forced by Sara's control of the wind. The three girls' expressions turned from surprise, to confusion, and finally to awe as Sara threw a gale force wind across the beach, knocking the three girls off their feet and onto their butts, staring up at Sara in disbelief. Even Farley barely withstood the blast of whipping wind, even though he knew it was coming.

Sara stepped forward, almost like a powerful goddess calmly flowing toward them, the wind whipping her hair her. "I wished I didn't have to do that," she spoke calmly. "But I felt it was the best way to get your attention." She reached down and pulled each of them to their feet. "We are all mermaids. Your abilities are much more than you know them to be. Everything is different now, so it's important that we can work together. We must always be allied against those that would want to do harm against us."

The tall girl had wide eyes at Sara. "How did you do that..?" She asked. "I thought we only had a tail..."

"You each have special powers, even if you don't know it yet. Powers to control and manipulate water," Sara spoke. And, without hesitation, she reached out a hand toward the ocean and retrieved a ball of water, floating it over to where the five of them were standing. Sara dropped the ball of water into the sand, and it soaked into the ground.. "And my wind powers in any case as well."

How did you…" Anna started, but she couldn't finish, in awe of Sara's abilities.

"Wait a minute..." Farley interrupted, stepping forward. "How long… have you three been mermaids if you didn't know you had powers… We figured ours out within less than a week."

The tall girl shrugged. "Don't judge us. But… it's been about two weeks."

Farley and Sara's eyes grew wide. "So little time…" Sara trailed off.

"That's when I became a merman!" Farley blurted out. "It had to have been the during the same full moon! At different times, granted, but still!"

"Same full moon? What do you mean?" The hispanic girl questioned.

"Oh my god, I have so much to tell you…" Sara trailed off. "But, we'll get to that eventually. I'm sorry that we got off to such a wrong foot. Now, I know Anna, but you other two I don't even know your names."

The hispanic girl stepped up, head down, almost as though she was embarrassed. "I'm sorry for doubting you at first," she trembled, before raising her head. "My name is Luisa Martinez. And, it is a pleasure to meet you Sara Meyer."

"I'm Fallon Hale," The tall girl announced. "And… It's good to meet you as well Sara, Farley."

"Ok now… The pleasantries are out of the way… Why don't you start at the beginning," Sara spoke. "How did you all meet? How did you come mermaids? And, what has happened over the past two weeks?" 

Anna, Luisa, and Fallon exchanged nervous glances. "Well… You learned how I got here," Anna spoke. "I've lived here in Perdido Beach my whole life, ever since I was adopted at least. Luisa came here like five years ago from Colombia."

"Ah, don't tell them my whole story idiota!" Luisa complained. "But yes, I was born in Colombia and became best friends with Anna when I moved here. We were both born elsewhere besides the US, so it was good to connect with someone else who was going through the same thing I was feeling."

Fallon stepped up. "And, I was the last to arrive here. I came from Duluth barely two months ago and befriended the two of them. And well, two weeks ago…"

"We took a boat out to this island, Isla Delfin, just off the coast. We had a free day and wanted to do some exploring," Anna continued. "We had never been there before and felt like checking it out. Maybe it was our blissful ignorance…"

Sara and Farley exchanged a quick glance. "And, something happened there?" she asked.

"The sun went down, and it got dark quicker than we expected," Luisa added. "We got lost and stumbled around until we found this… Como se dice… Lagoon, in the middle of the island. A small pond with a waterfall falling into it."

"The water was glowing a light blue color. It was so mesmerizing," Fallon explained. "And, Anna was just dumb enough to jump in."

"What?" Anna accused. "I'm sorry I wanted to have some fun!"

"Girls please!" Sara interrupted, commanding their attention. "Continue with the story."

Anna sighed. "Yes, I wanted to take a swim. The water was so serene and beautiful, and to me it felt like it was calling to us. I can't really explain what I felt… Anyway, I jumped in. And the others joined in as well. So we all swam around the lagoon for a bit. Then, suddenly, the water around us started to bubble. There were these… lights that started to rise above the water's surface. Then, as quick as it began, it ended, barely like twenty seconds later at most. And the lagoon returned to normal."

"And, let me guess, you didn't discover your tails until the next morning?" Sara asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Yeah, as soon as I got in the shower it happened," Luisa spoke. "How did you know?"

Sara and Farley burst into laughter. The three other girls looked at the two of them with a bit of anger. "I'm really sorry," Sara spoke in between breaths. "But that's what happened to us. Literally exactly what happened to the both of us. We're all lucky we didn't get hurt falling over in the shower."

"But I don't get it…" Anna trailed off. "What you said in your press conferences.."

"I know what I said!" Sara exclaimed, before calming herself. "Anna, there's a lot of what I know that would be disastrous if the rest of the world knew, including the fact that we have powers as mermaids, how we became mermaids, and everything like that. I will tell you what I know, to make sure you know exactly how to deal with being a mermaid. But just so you know, everything said here never ever ever must leave this group."

"So… What you said in your press conferences and interviews, that was all wrong?" Fallon questioned.

Sara sighed, looking to the sand. "I don't want to deceive you. There were some things I said that were complete lies. There are so many secrets I can't show the world. If I did, it would be catastrophic for not only me but others close . But now, I'm going to be truthful with you. You are all mermaids. You need to know what you're life is going to be now. Welcome to the mermaid world."

Anna nodded. "So… what's first?" she asked.

"First, I really would like to see this Isla Delfin. I want to see where you were turned into mermaids. Can you show us the way?" Sara asked.

The three girls faced inward, taking glances at each other for a moment. Anna stepped up. "We haven't been there since… you know..."

"I don't know if you are aware yet since you haven't swam back to the island yet, but, your mind should have a built in homing device of sorts," Sara explained. "It will always point you toward where you became mermaids." Sara stepped to her left, and out into the ocean water. Farley stepped up with her, joining her in the thigh-high water. "Well, let us get on with it then," She spoke, and within seconds, their tails appeared, and they both flopped forward, turning to the shocked faces of Fallon, Anna, and Luisa, each in awe.

Anna stepped forward, joining Sara and Farley in the surf. Fallon and Luisa joined after, a few steps behind Anna and a little more hesitant. But soon, they all were in the water. Sara watched as the three girls before each transformed into mermaids, falling into the water next to her. Their tails were the same color as Sara's, the brilliant and shimmering orange-gold. They turned to Sara, seemingly a bit sheepish. This was the first time they showed anyone their abilities, and despite Sara being a mermaid like them, they were almost embarrassed. 

"I feel the pull!" Anna exclaimed. "That's amazing! I know exactly where Isla Delfin is from here."

"Once we get out to the island, I'll tell you more of the story, including some of the secrets that I haven't told anyone yet," Sara spoke.

"Roger that," Fallon rolled her eyes, and spun around, disappearing beneath the waves.

"We'll follow the three of you," Sara spoke to Anna and Luisa. They nodded and disappeared beneath the surface after Fallon. Sara and Farley followed soon behind. The two of the followed the trail of bubbles of the three girls, heading away from the beach.

 _Well, that could've gone better,_ Sara joked to Farley through their telepathetic connection. _It's tough trying to get through to them._

 _They're nervous. It seems to me that we're the first people they've revealed their secret to. And, only because we have tails too._ Farley added. _We were all a bit anxious to reveal ourselves._

 _But still, they're so new… What can I teach them?_

 _Teach them what you know. That's all you need do. You are the more experienced one. But you're not their guardian. They have to know how much responsibility there is to be a mermaid, so they can eventually lead their own lives._ Farley encouraged.

 _And, we need to work together. It's so important that all of the mermaids be on the same team, fighting back against those who want to prevent us from living a normal life. I just hope that I'm doing the right thing._ Sara returned to silence. This needed to be done well. The best that she could do. Sara just hoped that was enough.

 **And thus the new mermaids have been revealed! Only time will tell if Sara can keep them all together and away from the public light. Let me know what you think! I've planned out the rest of part 2 and am starting to get some good ideas for the final part of this story. I'm looking to write something like 100 chapters for this story in total more or less. It depends on how much I write, but I have some great ideas cooking and I hope you all will be here for a while.**


	51. Chapter 50: Back to Normal?

**Chapter 50: Back to Normal?**

Mia stared out over the lapping waters of the ocean from a secluded beach. Katy sat next to her on the sand, joining her in the combined silence. The only sound heard was the waves crashing into the beach. The both of them were solemn. It had been the day after Sara's departure from Gold Coast, and the empty void by her leaving had left them both feeling melancholic. "So…. What do we do now?" Mia asked to empty space. "The summer just feels… empty now without Sara."

"She won't be gone forever. It'll only be a few weeks at most," Katy encouraged. "At least… I think so anyway."

"I suppose it's for the best," Mia agreed. "But, we still have to be careful. I know Sara's gone and everything, but people still know that we're friends with her. We've done good staying out of the limelight for now… But look what happened to Farley."

"Maybe then it's a good thing that Sara's gone for now…. Nobody cares about who we are now, and we just fade to anonymity."

"I thought you wanted to go public," Mia fired back.

"I do… Or maybe not.. I don't know… Like, I see Sara doing all these cool things and I'm jealous but…"

"...If we go public people will start questioning everything we've said since the beginning, if we're lying on anything, and possibly the location of the moon pool and how to become a mermaid," Mia finished.

"Precisely. And I don't want Mako's metaphorical blood on my hands," Katy added. "So where do we go from here?"

"Try to enjoy summer as best as we can while Sara's gone," Mia suggested.

"I suppose so…" Katy trailed off. "Do you think things ever could get back to normal? When we just mermaids living our lives… Or even before that when we were just normal girls doing the high school thing?"

Mia sighed. "This is our life now. One day, we may be forced to go public, whether we want to or not. Anything normal in life is over."

"Oh…" Katy put her head down, discouraged.

Mia put a hand on Katy's shoulder. "Hey, we're still here though. And we're gonna do everything we can. Besides, we still have good friends and our boyfriends with us," Mia encouraged. "Speaking of which, we should probably head to where we're meeting."

"Are you sure it's safe? People could be still scouring the waters for more mermaids. We'd be revealed."

"Maybe. Or maybe not. We cannot fear the unknown. It will only cause us pain," Mia advised.

"Look at you being the wise philosopher," Katy joked, elbowing Mia in the side.

"I know you joke, but I have realized something," Mia added. "Sara was undoubtedly the leader of our group. She was the most charismatic, confident, and when the shit kicked her in the face, she got back up and faced. She knew that fear would only hurt her. So she didn't let it control her. I only see this now that she's gone. The two of us have to hold together as one. Sure we have Blake and Mitch, and I guess Lizzy and Elliot as well. But us two mermaids have to stick together while Sara is away."

Katy nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

"Shall we go?" Mia spoke, standing up on the sand, facing the ocean with a strength and courage.

"Right behind you," Katy stood up as well, joining Mia. Together they ran into the surf together, unafraid.

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Elliot steered the Redemption carefully out of the Marina. A trickle of sweat dripped down his back as he anxiously eased the throttle forward, moving among the parked boats trying not to crash. "Have you ever done this before?" Lizzy questioned.

"Well… No… It was always Denman who drove the boat. I was just there along for the ride usually. Denman charged me with keeping the Redemption in good care. So, that's what I plan to do," Elliot answered nervously, trying to keep his attention focused. Within a few tense moments, they were free of the marina and out onto the ocean water. "Ok. We're clear, now to get this baby going. Keep the eye out for followers. People probably know this is Denman's boat, and we don't want people following us."

"Aye aye Captain!" Lizzy saluted. "I can't wait to get to Mako. It feels so good to be part of this group."

"Even though they don't trust us," Elliot added pessimistically.

Lizzy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Elliot sighed. "Both of us were brought into this by Sara. Mia and Katy literally met you two days ago. And even though I've known Sara for months, she never told them about me and Denman and Laura until basically the night Sara was revealed, a week ago. The both of us are on the outs. The other two, Blake and Mitch, have known about the girls' secret for months. Doesn't help us at all. Blake does trust me, as we've known each other for a few months. But the others, no way."

"Why are you being such a downer?" Lizzy questioned.

"I don't know…" Elliot admitted. "I'm sorry. I'm still dealing with the whole thing about my sister being a mermaid. She never told me for years. I only found out through Zane Bennett. He told me it all, and mostly to spite Dr. Denman at the time… So I don't even get the pleasure of being told it by my sister herself. I only heard about it because I was there."

"Hey," Lizzy spoke softly, placing a hand on Elliot's shoulder. "It'll be ok. You need to talk to your sister though. This… ball of tension you feel will only hurt you in the long run. You need to find closure, or else you'll never be free."

"What are you a psychologist now?" Elliot quipped.

"That's right, and my rate is $100 an hour, so pay up," Laura fired back. The two of them almost fell on the floor laughing at their stupid joke. Soon, their laughing had calmed down and they continued their course. Elliot smiled at Lizzy who returned it right back at him.

Elliot returned his gaze to the open ocean. "Either way, we are a part of this now, so even though I am being a downer I still want to show them that I'm loyal to them all. We're just starting at a hard place at the moment."

"True, but here's another option. They have to trust us," Lizzy argued. "We know all their secrets. Distrusting us is only going to push us further away. Their only logical option is to keep us as close as possible."

"People never really act logically anyway," Elliot joked.

"Fair. But still, let's meet up with them and least get on the same page. All we can do," Lizzy added.

Elliot nodded. Both he and Lizzy had a lot of work to gain the trust of the others, but they'd be willing to do it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blake and Mitch glided across the water in Farley's boat. He had let the two of them borrow it while he was away in California. Farley's father didn't seem to mind, as he was still working around Farley being a merman and everything. The two sat in relative silence as they continued forward through the calm waters.

"So… Do you think it was the right move accepting Elliot, Laura, and Lizzy into Team Mako?" Mitch asked, trying to break the silence.

Blake shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I wish I knew. I've known Elliot and Laura for a few months now, and we've grown to be friends. But, I don't know about this LIzzy girl. Sara seems to trust her though."

"From what it sounds like to me from what Sara said, Lizzy is extremely loyal, but she is a bit overly enthusiastic, which means that it would be the easiest for her to reveal the secret," Mitch explained.

"Then… what do we do about it?"

"I don't know…" Mitch sighed.

"Well, some months ago, right after Sara was found out by Denman, I gave her a piece of advice. 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And closer still those who you aren't quite sure whether they are friend or enemy.' So, we need to keep Lizzy, and the same extent Laura and Elliot, close by. If they think they are trusted, they'll be less willing to betray us."

"Unless they want to be close to us to learn more they can use against us…"

"Mate, I know you have trust issues," Blake snapped, "But, we need to work with them. I know you usually do the solo thing, but come on. They are a part of us now whether you like it or not."

Mitch grunted angrily. "If you weren't one of my best friends, I'd beat the piss out of you now."

"Well, then I'm the right bloke to get real with you. Mitch, mate, don't be so hard on our group. Be optimistic for once."

Mitch exhaled slowly. "Fine. You're right. I won't be a bitch. I'll learn to trust Lizzy, Laura, and Elliot."

"Great! Now, let's meet up with the rest of them!"

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Slowly but surely, the three groups made there way to the Moon Pool. Katy and Mia arrived first through the underwater cave directly from the ocean. Soon after, Blake and Mitch appeared in the Cave. They both laid onto the cold rock and kissed their respective girlfriends still in the water. "So… Where are the newbies? They didn't get lost did they?" Mia joked.

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad that they can't find their way back here," Mitch chided. "They won't be able to tell everyone about this place though."

Blake shot him an angry glare, but Mitch just shrugged and brushed back his long black hair. "Come on you two," Mia groaned. "I know we don't 100% trust the two of them, but Sara does. And we need to honor that."

"Mia being level-headed? When did that start?" Blake teased.

"Shut it Blake," Mia snapped back. "Anyway, they'll be here soon. So let's not do the whole gossipping bullshit. Not gonna do very well for us if they come down here and we're saying bad things about them."

Mia was right, as within five minutes, Elliot and LIzzy stumbled down the hole and into the other chamber. "I'm not gonna get used to that," They heard Elliot joke. Both he and Lizzy clambered up the stairs and into the main Moon Pool chamber. Lizzy gasped instinctively at seeing Katy and Mia in their tails, and she quickly tried to stifle it. Mia and Katy just rolled their eyes.

"Hey everybody!" Lizzy announced trying to be cheerful.

"So… what's on the agenda for today?" Elliot followed it up with.

"Well, we need to talk about how we're going to do things here with Sara gone," Katy spoke.

"Right. So, I'm worried that people are gonna start looking at us now. We're known to be very close with Sara," Mia explained. "Although a lot of the media people have went back to their home countries or followed Sara to California, there have to be some who stay here and dig deeper into what Sara might have been 'hiding.'"

"Like that girl who revealed Farley?" Elliot questioned.

"Exactly," Mia continued. "We don't know who she is and what she wants. I, for one, don't want anything to do with her. But, after Farley and Sara banned her from all events with them, she might be looking for any reason to become famous again. It might actually get worse from here."

"We don't know that for sure though," Blake countered. "Which is the problem. So, we want to make sure we're all on the same page. Especially you two who are the newest of the group."

"What do you need from us?" Lizzy asked.

"Loyalty more than anything," Mitch answered.

"I've got an idea!" Katy interrupted. Everyone turned to her suddenly. "Sorry, but it's something you both could do to help out. So, many people might know that we are all friends of Sara. But you two… People might not know that yet. Sure, they might know Elliot works for Denman. But that's it."

"What are you getting at…" Elliot trailed off.

"This woman… Raven was her name? Anyway, we could have the two of you get close to her. This might give us an opportunity to find out about her, who she is, and what she wants," Katy explained. "If she's getting too close to any of our secrets, this could be our chance to put her off in a wrong direction until she gets too bored and gives up. Right now, she already knows that we weren't telling the full truth as Farley turned out to be a merman obviously."

"Soo… She'll probably want to do more research into all of us," Mia concluded. "Which is bad news for everyone."

"So, you want me and Lizzy to do some snooping?" Elliot asked. "Ok, I guess we can try. I don't want to make any promises, but…"

"We'll do our best to prove our loyalty," Lizzy interrupted.

"Good. Thank you both," Mia spoke. "And hopefully, this will all blow over soon."

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Raven sat in her hotel room, impatiently tapping her foot. Her reveal of Farley was a complete failure. Sure, she revealed that Farley was an indeed an actual merman, but she was now banned from any events that both him and Sara were a part of. Her name was now scratched from the news. It made her angry and feeling like an absolute failure.

But that was all going to change. A new lead blew over her desk, one that read out of high school drama. But, she was hoping it would reveal more info about Sara's little mermaid identity. But, it all had to go right.

A soft succession of knocks happened on the door, seemingly timid. _It is here._ Raven stood up and casually strode from her desk over to the door and whipped it open. Standing in front of her was a a smaller blond girl with way too much makeup. "A-are you Raven?" The girl stammered.

"It is I," Raven swooned. "And you must be Marian. Please come in." Raven guided Marian over to her desk, where Raven sat down on the desk chair while giving Marian the armchair off to the side. Raven shuffled some papers on her desk before grabbing a clean sheet and setting up. "So, Marian, I understand that you have information regarding Sara."

"Well, yeah. I was the one who revealed her. But, I was banned from interacting with her. And the footage of her reveal was sold off by my arsehole ex, Aaron. And I got nothing. So, I have info to give to you. If you're willing," Marian explained.

"I am willing. Knowledge is power, and my deduction and journalism skills already led me to figure out that Farley was a merman in fact, so I hope with your information I can uncover more truth to this mystery."

"Ok." Marian began. "I have been around the school for a while, the same one Sara and Farley attend. There are others they hang out with. Very very close ones. You might have heard them."

"I might have heard a few names tossed around, but nothing substantial. What are you getting at."

"There are two other girls who are best friends with Sara. Mia Hobbs and Katy Arlington. They have been too close for comfort."

"Yeah, what about them. She has friends."

"It gets better. Mia is Zane Bennett's cousin. Now… Why would Mia's cousin be so passionate about being Sara's manager?"

"Because they're friends as well after he found out that she was a mermaid? That was in the official release. Unless… There's another reason that Zane became Sara's manager."

"Yes! Zane was sort of role model for Mia. A successful entrepreneur, and Mia looked up to him. So, Zane would help Sara because his fear for Mia. Because she could be another mermaid."

Raven rubbed her temples. "This is pure speculation, Marian. You have no proof that she or this Katy girl are mermaids as well. Besides, revealing them wouldn't help my cause. The same thing would happen. I need… more…"

Marian stood up. "Fine. I tried to give you good information that you think is pure garbage. Whatever. I'm done here." And, she walked out of the room in a huff."

Raven chuckled to herself. _Oh Marian. You've given me enough information alright. I don't need to reveal Sara's friends. They're mostly useless. I just need to become a mermaid myself, and that would be all that I want. That's exactly what I'm going to find out._

 **I gave you a bit of trickery by returning to how Mia, Katy, and the rest of the gang are doing back in Gold Coast. But there's so much more going on now, and it's impossible to know if they are prepared or not. Thank you for staying with me through 50 chapters. I want so much more from this story, and I'm going to continue working hard for all of you.**


	52. Chapter 51: Mermaid World Part 2

**Chapter 51: Welcome to the Mermaid World Part 2**

The rest of the swim to Isla Delfin went by in silence through the telepathetic connection between Sara and Farley. She had nothing to say, and she needed her thoughts to herself most importantly. Instead, she focused on the trails of the three girls in front of her, staying on course to the island. It somehow felt like a longer swim than she was used to. The swim from the mainland Australia to Mako Island barely took ten minutes. But this seemed longer than twenty, and Sara eventually lost track of how long she'd been swimming.

Soon, in front of her she noticed an upsloping of land, signally the existence of an island. Anna, Luisa, and Fallon cut right, encircling the landmass, with Sara and Farley following close behind. They continued following as Anna, Luisa, and Fallon turned into a large cavern under the water, bizarrely similar to the underwater cave leading to the Moon Pool on Mako. Fifty yards down the cavern and it began to slant upward. They all followed upward to an area of light above them. Sara burst upward and above the water, gasping at what she saw.

They were in a small lagoon, just as the others had said. It was built into the rocks, with high walls on each side, plants growing in a ring around the pool. A small waterfall hung in front of her, almost like a fountain, dumping water into the pool. The lagoon's water was unnecessarily colored a light blue, with an almost unnatural glow to it. Farley joined her and he stared as well, caught up with the beauty of the hidden lagoon.

"What do you think?" Anna called to her. She, alongside Fallon and Luisa were sitting against a small ledge under the water, just to the side of the waterfall. Farley and Sara swam calmly over toward them, pulling themselves onto the same ledge next to them.

"This place… It's so beautiful…" Sara spoke softly. "And this is where you became mermaids?"

"That's right," Fallon affirmed. "Not bad huh?"

"I want to say this first. But, we brought you here and wanted to be open about everything," Anna interrupted. "How you said you got your tail, both of you… All of that was bullshit? Because what we've experienced is nothing like what you said."

Sara chuckled. "Yeah. It was completely a lie. If people knew exactly how I became a mermaid, they would want to replicate it. And, some might've succeeded. Then, it wouldn't be so special being a mermaid anymore. I became a mermaid in the exact same way you all did on Mako Island, in the ocean outside of Gold Coast, Australia. Although it wasn't an a beautiful lagoon like this. We actually changed in a pool that was inside a dormant volcano."

"Imposible!" Luisa exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but that is really cool."

"How did it happen? Like what's the story? I don't want to press you, but you always say we need to trust each other as mermaids.," Anna asked.

"And we trusted you with our story," Fallon added.

"You're all bold. But… You are right. You trusted me with your secret, and I should tell you about mine," Sara spoke. She exchanged an apologetic glance with Farley. _Am I really going to tell them about Mia and Katy… Is this the right thing?_ She sent to him telepathically.

 _I say do it. Anna, Fallon, and Luisa told you everything. And, we need to stick together as merpeople.._ Farley encouraged. _But you do as you have to. I'm only here to support you in everything. This is your choice._

Sara turned to the three others. "Ok, you want to hear my story? The true story? Here goes," Sara began. "Six months ago, I went on a boat trip with my two best friends Mia and Katy, which ironically is the truest part of the fake story I gave. But, we went to Mako Island like I said. We got lost on the island and found this cave that wound its way under the volcano. There was this pool there, much smaller than this lagoon. We fell into it just as the full moon was above the cone of the volcano. And just like what happened to you, the bubbling of the water, the lights, that happened to us. Eventually we did escape and the next morning, we all woke up with tails. So, not too dissimilar to what happened to you."

Anna, Fallon, and Luisa looked among each other. "So…. You're not the only other one…." Fallon trailed off. "Your friends… they…"

"...they're mermaids as well," Sara interrupted. "We all changed at the same time. Obviously they haven't gone public with it yet, so it's important that we remain as discreet as possible with this, with all mermaid activity in general most importantly."

"Our lips are sealed," Anna assured. "One other thing… What's this worry about the full moon? You keep mentioning it…"

Sara accidentally let out a scoff, bringing scowls from Anna, Fallon, and Luisa. "Do you… not know?" Sara asked. "Did you notice the full moon above you when you were in this lagoon that night?"

"I might have seen it… What's so important about it?" Anna questioned.

"Everything. The full moon is behind it all. I… We… have no idea why it happens like this, or what it is for. But, being in both this lagoon and the pool on Mako when the full moon is directly above, it will turn whoever is in it into a mermaid, or a merman in Farley's case," Sara explained.

"That's it? That's the secret to becoming a mermaid?" Luisa asked. Sara shrugged and nodded. "Well, it's a dangerous secret if the public knew exactly how to do it…"

"Exactly why I made up a lot of my story! So, never ever EVER tell the truth about how you became a mermaid. Make something up. They have no way of proving you are lying anyway…" Sara warned. "One more thing… Crucial. This may sound odd, but I promise it is the truth. Every month, the full moon comes around once again. When that happens, stay indoors and away from windows. You cannot look at the moon. If you do, you'll become hypnotized by it. We call it being moonstruck."

"Bullshit," Fallon spat. "You're just yanking our chains."

"Fallon!" Anna exclaimed. "Why would Sara lie? She's here to help us."

"Fallon, if this is true what Sara says, we can't risk it," Luisa added.

"Can I continue?" Sara probed. The three of them turned to her and nodded. _Oh the irony… It's just like how we acted when Bella, Cleo, and Rikki were around. And now I have to deal with the other side._ She sent quickly to Farley. "Anyway when you are Moonstruck, your behavior is erratic, unpredictable, and it can be dangerous. You always want to go swimming, and most likely come swimming here. And, if you're with other people, that's a problem without a doubt. It ends when the sun comes up, but you won't remember anything you did while moonstruck."

"That sounds really serious," Anna spoke.

"It is," Sara confirmed. "Luckily, it only happens once a month. But still, even then it might take you by surprise. So, you have to be ready. I would suggest, and I can't believe that I'm suggesting this, but you need to find a non-mermaid person you can trust with your secret. They'll be able to at least help do damage control, especially if all three of you are moonstruck at the same time. That… may have happened a few different times for me and my friends."

"How did you get through it?" Luisa asked.

"Like I said, having non-mermaids around are really helpful. Farley was there before he had his tail. But we also had Mia and Katy's boyfriends, and Zane, my manager, was extremely helpful as well."

Fallon rubbed her temples. "Ugh…. This mermaid thing is a lot more complicated than I ever thought possible," she complained.

Sara chuckled. "Yeah. I understand your annoyance. But still, after everything that's happened, I wouldn't give up my tail no matter what. It has become a part of me, integral to who I am."

"As well, the sheer joy of swimming in the ocean makes you realize the gift we have," Farley added. "I've had my tail barely as long as the three of you, so I'm in the same boat. But, knowing Sara and learning to enjoy swimming, despite being revealed, I wouldn't take anything back either."

"You two are just the worst," Anna teased.

Sara and Farley smiled at each other. "Well, we are the mermaid couple," Sara fired back. "We love each other, and we're working together to make the world love mermaids."

"As much as I would love to talk about your relationship," Luisa interrupted sarcastically, "You said earlier that we have powers? How do we do that?"

"Right," Sara continued. "So, each one of you will have a different power." Sara floated a ball of water the size of a basketball upward in front of all of them. "As you can see, I have the ability to move water with my mind. Aquakinesis if you wanted to be technical about it."

Farley moved forward. "As far as we know, there are three powers you can possibly have," he spoke. "Each of you will most likely have one of them. The first one, obviously is Sara's ability to move water with her mind." Farley thrust his hand out and clenched it. Slowly, the ball of water floating in the air began to boil, to the shocked expressions of Anna, Luisa, and Fallon. "The second being able to heat and boil water, and…" Farley thrust his hand out again, and the ball of water froze in mid air after a couple seconds. "The last one is being able to freeze water."

"Any questions?" Sara asked, tossing the now frozen ball of water to the other side of the lake, landing in a giant splash.

"I got one," Fallon blurted. "Like… how the fuck is this possible?"

"Fallon!" Anna snapped. "We're mermaids, don't ask how anything can be possible. We're way beyond what is considered possible."

"We had that thought as well," Sara put forth. "What you think is actually possible is completely thrown out the window."

"So… Another question," Luisa interrupted. "How does Farley have all three powers if we're only supposed to have one each?"

"We don't really know," Farley shrugged. "But, my boil and freeze powers act much slower and less powerful than the mermaids that actually have those powers."

"Don't worry about Farley's powers. Our job is to figure out what your powers are," Sara spoke, changing the subject. She raised another ball of water from the lagoon. "Ok, who wants to try first?"

"I'll do it," Luisa spoke first. "I've always wanted to be a superhero."

"Now, Luisa, focus on the ball of water I'm holding up," Sara explained. "Feel the power within you, and when you're ready, put your hand out and focus the power into the ball of water."

"Ok. I can do this," Luisa spoke.

"Vaya con dios!" Anna joked.

Luisa just groaned and rolled her eyes before shutting them, calming her breathing. When she was ready, she opened her eyes and thrust her hand out toward the ball of water. Immediately it froze over. Unfortunately, the momentum tipped Luisa forward, and she fell flat on her face in the water. The ball of ice now flew backwards as Sara was surprised at Luisa's clumsiness, barely missing Farley as it slammed into the rock wall behind them.

Luisa pushed her face up and cleared her eyes. "Did I do it?" She questioned.

Sara chuckled. "Yeah… You did it. Congratulations Luisa, you have the ice powers."

"That's so cool!" Luisa exclaimed. "So, I have the ice powers. Who's next?"

"I'm not gonna wait around anymore," Fallon stepped up. "I'm dying to see what my power is."

Sara floated another ball of water upward. "Ok Fallon. Same thing as Luisa. Focus on the ball of water."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I got it," Fallon rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine."

Sara raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing. Fallon closed her eyes shut tight, focusing on the ball of water, and then she thrust out her hand. But nothing happened. Frustrated, Fallon thrust it out again. But again, nothing. "Try clenching your fist," Sara encouraged, "You may have the boil powers."

"Fine!" Fallon raged, and clenched hard. In a split second, the ball of water burst into a rolling boil. Sara yelped and jumped backward, flinging the ball of scalding water toward the center of the lagoon and out of harm's way. It slowly sunk beneath the surface, sputtering and hissing before it mixed evenly with the rest of the lagoon water.

Everyone was silent, breathing back to normal. Fallon stared at her hand in disbelief. "Well, congratulations Fallon," Farley interrupted the silence. "You have the ability to boil water. Just… keep your anger under control. You might boil the entire lagoon, cooking us all immediately."

"I… That was so weird… I felt the powers activate when I became angrier." Fallon trailed off, raising her eyes upward. "But, that is so cool."

"Your ability to be angry might be slightly increased as well," Sara spoke. "So, keep note of that. Our friend Mia has the boil powers, and she definitely got a lower fuse after that. It wasn't much, yet still when your powers are directly connected to emotion, it's important to keep tabs on it."

Anna pushed her way forward. "Ok. Now it's my turn!" She announced. "So I guess I have the power to move water with my mind?"

Sara shrugged. "I would assume maybe. There is a fourth power that's very rare. That is the ability to gelatinize water. But, I doubt you would have it."

"How do you know that?" Anna asked.

"Long story," Sara spoke. "And, we need to figure out your powers anyway."

"I'm all in," Anna spoke, rubbing her hands together, a huge grin on her face. "Let's do this."

"Ok Anna… Make sure…"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Anna interrupted. "Focus on the water, reach out with my hand, and since my powers are mostly aquakinesis, I should be able to lift the water no problem."

"I… that's fair," Sara responded, almost proud of Anna's tenacity. It reminded Sara of her own self. Sara floated a ball of water into the air again. "We'll start on a small scale. Try and move water from this ball."

"Ok. I'll get it done." Anna affirmed, stretching out her hand slowly. For a moment, nothing happened. But, after a few tense seconds a small thin stream of water slowly rose out of the ball floating in the air. Joy ripped across Anna's face. "I'm… I'm doing it!" Anna beamed. "I can't believe it!"

"Great job Anna!" Fallon exclaimed, patting her on the back. The contact broke Anna's concentration, and the thin stream fell forward, splashing harmlessly into the lagoon.

"Hey now," Anna joked to Fallon, "You messed up my focus!" Anna sighed, turning back to Sara. "So… What happens now?"

"You all live your lives. I don't know how long I will be in California. I want to help you the best I can. But again, with me being revealed, being close to you will only put you all at risk, which I can't do," Sara explained.

"We aren't afraid!" Luisa spoke up.

"I admire your tenacity. It reminds me of myself," Sara responded. "But again, this is some serious stuff. I wish it wasn't so. But, I want to give you the tools to be the best mermaids you can possibly. Believe me, the sheer joy of being a mermaid is worth any risk of being revealed. But, this life is not easy. You must be ready for anything. But, I know you will be amazing. Once again, Welcome to the Mermaid World."

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Sara collapsed on her bed back in her hotel room some hours later. Farley sat in a chair across from her, feeling equally as exhausted as she was. "You did a good job today with those girls," Farley spoke.

"Are you sure? I just tried to do my best…" Sara trailed off. "I hope it was enough."

"I think you did the best anyone could hope to do. So much pressure is put onto you. And it isn't fair. But I believe you did good. Those girls seem very suited to be mermaids. I'm proud of them," Farley replied. "And of you."

Sara smiled. "Thank you. That means so much to me."

"Hey, I'm your boyfriend. I would be an arsehole if I didn't support you," Farley teased.

"Whatever you say," Sara joked back.

"Aren't there some people who should know about the other mermaids?" Farley asked rhetorically.

"What? No! Of course not. Why would… Oh… You mean Mia and Katy," Sara realized. Farley chuckled and nodded. "Right ok. Mermaid form telepathy time."

Sara walked over the the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She situated herself in the bathtub, in order to get as comfortable as possible before turning on the water, letting her tail come out, and her body relax. She still needed the bath, despite the need to contact Mia and Katy. Sara stretched out with her mind. _Mia? Katy? Can you hear me? This is urgent. So, I hope you're close to a bathroom so you can contact me._

It didn't take long. _Well looks like you're lucky then! I'm laying in the bathtub right now actually._ Katy quipped.

 _What a coincidence! So am I._ Sara joked back. _Although I'm five thousand miles away… Or more. I don't know how far away Gold Coast is from LA._

 _So what's the scoop!_ Katy exclaimed.

 _Hold up! We gotta wait for Mia._ Sara quickly replied.

 _Do you realize I can hear your entire conversation?_ Mia finally spoke, annoyed.

 _Well… that's fair…_ Sara admitted.

 _Ok Sara. We're all here, what's this urgent news bulletin that you're trying to get to us?_ Katy added.

 _This is fucking big…_ Sara began. _I found out who AMK is… The girl that sent the letter._

Silence came over the other two girls. They were too stunned to talk for a second before Mia slowly began. _Are you sure? Who is this? Or they? Or whatever! What do you know?_

 _So… to start. The man who came to convince me to come to California, Ben Mckay? Well his daughter Anna is AMK. She's a mermaid, changed in a moon pool on the island of Isla Delfin just off the coast of California with her two friends Luisa and Fallon two weeks ago. There are three new mermaids now…_ Sara explained.

 _Three new mermaids…_ Katy trailed off.

 _This is crazy!_ Mia exclaimed. _The entire world is mermaid crazy, and we gotta deal with three new mermaids who haven't a clue in the world! They're gonna get exposed!_

 _I know this isn't ideal. But, I spent the afternoon with them. I'm here for a while too. I can definitely set them on the right path. Just as Rikki, Bella, and Cleo did for us. They understand the risks. But, they also understand the benefits. They love being mermaids_. Sara added confidently. _I believe they are good girls to be mermaids._

 _I trust you to do well with them Sara._ Katy spoked. _But, we need to be careful. The mermaid world just got a little bigger, and I'm not sure if we are able to keep up with it._

Sara was about to talk again, but she was interrupted by her phone ringing. Suspicious, Sara looked at her phone but she didn't recognize the number. _Hey guys, I'm getting a call… But we need to talk later! I'll tell you all a lot more about the new mermaids and what has happened here._ She severed the connection before Mia and Katy could respond. Sara quickly put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hello Sara Meyer. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance for the first time! Even though we should've talked a long time ago. That's my fault, but now I can actually talk to you for the first time." a girl spoke cheerfully on the other end. Her accent was clearly Australian, and she had an air of familiarity to her. But, Sara couldn't place how she knew her.

"Can I ask you who you are?" Sara asked, a scowl forming in her face.

"Of course. My name is Emma Gilbert. And, I'm sure you've heard about me before from Cleo, Rikki, Bella, Elliot, and Denman. They've certainly told me a lot about you."

The color drained from Sara's face as a realization came across her face. "Y-you're Emma? The Emma? I…. Wow, I never expected to hear from you. Well I mean… I did… But, like… I didn't know now."

"It's ok. Relax," Emma suggested warmly, "Yeah, people have been really wanting me to finally reach out and be a part of this thing you're doing. So, how would you like to meet me? I'm in California right now visiting Cleo, Rikki, and Bella, and I would love it if you could come out to San Diego to meet with us. I'm sure the three of them would love to see you again."

"I… I… I don't know. I would love to. But this is just, wow. Completely unexpected." Sara stammered, unsure what to think.

"Well let me know soon. I would love to get a chance to meet you for the first time," Emma said. "I'll talk to you later!"

And in a moment, the phone call ended, leaving Sara in a state of confusion. She pulled herself out of the tub in a daze and dried herself, still thinking about what Emma said. She walked outside to see Farley sitting on the couch. He stood immediately when he saw her. "What did they say?" Farley asked.

"They wish us good luck in dealing with the new mermaids… But there's something else…"

"What?" Farley questioned.

"I was called by Emma Gilbert…" Sara trailed off. "She's Elliot's sister, and the one who befriended Denman. She wants to actually meet me. She's spending time with Cleo, Rikki, and Bella in San Diego."

"You have to do it then!" Farley added. "I know we're really busy. But Emma is one of the original mermaids. It would be really good to hang out with her. As well, it'll be good to see the three others as well once again."

"I suppose so…" Sara pondered for a second. And, an idea popped into her head. It seemed stupid and crazy, but it was necessary. She needed to meet with all of them. But there was something else that needed to happen as well. Sara smiled as she made a plan. She was going to do something bold.

 **Ah ha! I did say Emma was going to be in the story! Granted…. It did take 51 chapters, but still. I'm thankful to my loyal readers who have been with me all 51 chapters. Here's to many more! Send in a cool review if you want to say something about the story.**


	53. Chapter 52: Some Kind of Truce

**Chapter 52: Some Kind of Truce**

Elliot and Lizzy crept slowly through the well-lit hallway, checking their surroundings. They weren't even doing anything that suspicious to someone on the outside, but still, the anxiety was still creeping up through both of them. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" Lizzy whispered to Elliot.

"I hope so… Good thing I can do basic internet research. This should be the place… I think...," Elliot affirmed. _At least, unless they were using a fake name and we're completely way off base. That's also possible._

The two of them went a little farther down, still walking cautiously. "What room is it?" Lizzy asked.

"Should be…. 2119…" Elliot trailed off.

"Are you sure?" Lizzy questioned once again.

"I'm mostly confident in it. I know I'm not 100% sure…. But at this point we can't take any chances, at all," Elliot warned.

"Oh, don't be so gloomy and doomy," Lizzy teased. "We'll be fine."

"With Mia, Katy, as well as my sister and her friends' livelihoods on the line, we have to be serious about this. They all were nice enough to reveal their secrets to us, so we should not fail them," Elliot pronounced.

"Ok, I'm with you," Lizzy affirmed. "We can do this."

"Here we are," Elliot spoke, arriving at the right door. He stood steadfast, but still frozen in place. He raised his fist to knock, hesitating for a moment, his entire body refusing to move. Within a moment, his nerve returned, and he knocked a few times on the door.

For several seconds, nothing happened, and Elliot's breath stopped, unsure if he had just made the right decision or not. Then, the door quickly opened, revealing a dark haired lady with pale skin. Her hair was frizzy and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She blinked a few times, ridding the sleep from her eyes. "Can I help you?" the woman asked, still tired.

Lizzy stepped in front of Elliot, blinking her eyes in a fangirl like manner. "Hey, are you the mysterious Raven by chance?" She asked, smiling.

"Uh… I'm not so sure about mysterious… But yeah, I'm Raven. Why? Who are you exactly?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Zoey, and this is James. I heard a rumor that you were the one who were able to figure out that Farley Davis was a merman… Can you confirm?" Lizzy responded, still cheery as ever. Elliot stayed behind her, letting her take the lead. "I'm studying journalism and would love to find out how you did it."

"Yeah. I figured it out. His video with Gentleman Australia lead me to believe it, and I just took a chance. Turns out I was right. Didn't help me out though. I was banned from gaining anything from my great journalism skills," Raven complained. "They're very protective of who they allow at their events."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That's amazing what you were able to do," Lizzy groveled.

"So… What's next for you?" Elliot asked. "You can't just have given up right?"

Raven smirked. "I think I may be going back to the US. I showed that I could use my skills and it worked. That should show employers that I have the ability to be a great journalist. Not much more I can do here in Australia."

"Well, I hope you can at least gain something from being banned from everything," Lizzy encouraged.

"Thank you. Both of you. You've lifted my spirits today," Raven smiled. "But, I must get ready for the day. If you don't mind. But, it was great talking to you both."

"Our pleasure Raven. Good luck in your life onward," Elliot spoke eloquently.

"Good bye! It was a pleasure to meet you," Lizzy added. Raven smiled, nodded, and closed the door.

Lizzy and Elliot turned and walked away. It wasn't until they were down the hallway before they both breathed out heavily, releasing the tension. "Ok… So, what did we learn?" Elliot asked. "It appears that Raven is on her way home. She won't be any more trouble for Mia and Katy."

"Unless she was lying," Lizzy spoke. "I don't know if she had any reason to lie to us, but it is possible."

"Right… We can only hope she was telling the truth… whether or not that is the case…" Elliot added.

"Now who's the overly optimistic one," Lizzy teased, patting Elliot on the back. Elliot reached and put his hand around Lizzy's shoulders, pulling her into an awkward side hug. They immediately realized and pulled away from each other. Elliot looked down at Lizzy and smiled a deep smile, and she returned the same. A connection was beginning to develop.

Meanwhile, Raven was sitting on her bed in her room, digesting what had just happened. She recognized Elliot immediately. He was one of Denman's interns. How stupid were they? Waltzing to her, the one who revealed Farley. That means they were trying to figure out what she knew…. And they failed miserably.

 _So…_ Raven pondered to herself. _I'm going to find out what they're trying to hide from me. All of them. No matter what. I will find all their secrets and Take… Them… Down…_

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Anna burst through surface of the lagoon, arriving at Isla Delfin before the others by a long shot. She maneuvered her way over to the rock edge at the side of the lagoon, posting up against it, waiting for the others to arrive. Soon, within a minute, the heads of Luisa and Fallon broke through the surface, finally reaching the island much slower than Anna. They quickly turned toward Anna, who just smiled cheekily at the both of them. "You both get lost?" Anna quipped.

"Cállate," Luisa spat. "One of these days I'm going to beat you here. You know that right?"

"I'll believe it when I see it, Luisa," Anna teased. "But for now, I'm the undisputed queen of the mermaids."

"Yeah? And what about Sara?" Luisa questioned. "Seems like she's better than all of us!"

"Both of you please," Fallon stepped in. "Chill your competitiveness ya know. We got more to deal with."

"Right right…" Anna spoke. "So, I have something I wanted to talk to you both about. Mermaid things in particular."

"I'm assuming that's why you wanted us to come here?" Luisa asked.

"Precisely," Anna answered. "I've been thinking a lot about what Sara said… And I'm thinking about something specific. She told us that we need to find someone we trust… a non-mermaid person that can help us out."

"Let me guess… you want to tell someone?" Fallon questioned. "You know how dangerous that can be. Just look what happened to Sara!"

"But she was able to trust Farley with her secret! And her manager Zane! And, her friends' boyfriends were trustfully as well," Anna fired back. "This is her words exactly that we need someone to trust… How is it that crazy?"

"I suppose that is fair," Luisa spoke. "Who do you want to tell?"

"Well…."

"You want to tell David, don't you," Fallon accused.

"Maybe… I believe I trust him, and they all told their boyfriends," Anna explained.

"Still… Can you trust him?" Luisa questioned.

"I know I can. We've known each other for a while now, and he's the one I want to tell. Here's my plan though… I'm only going to tell him that I'm a mermaid. If this goes south, I can save you two from the fallout," Anna added.

Fallon sighed. "Ok fine. I suppose we have to do it eventually. And if you want to take the lead, be my guest."

"It's a plan then," Anna concluded. There was a tinge of optimism in her voice. But, Anna was still worried. With mermaids in the public eye, telling anyone was dangerous… But, just as Sara said, it was what they needed to do.

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"So… Where exactly are we?" Denman asked to Sara as they both stepped out of the car into the hot sun. "I obviously realize we are in San Diego now. But, you've been extremely vague about why we came here."

"It's mainly for me, an opportunity of sorts. And, I wanted you to be here for my support. That's why you're my manager," Sara spoke, "And Zane is… Well… Zane. He's much more eccentric than you. I needed someone more logical. Hence why I brought you with me."

"Ok. I get that … But you're still being vague about everything…" Denman countered. "And we're at the Ocean View Apartments…? This seems odd."

"I promise. This is legit. Trust me. I had to trust you with my secret. You can trust me here that I know what I'm doing," Sara said, leading the way into the gate. They wound their way through the buildings and up the stairs. The apartments had an annoying blue paint to them, like they were trying way too hard to invoke the ocean aesthetic. Soon they reached their destination. "Room 221," Sara read aloud. "We're here." And, she knocked loudly on the door.

"But… Where is here?" Denman asked.

The question was answered immediately as the door whipped open, revealing the surprisingly chipper face of Rikki Chadwick. "Hey Sara you made…"

And then Rikki noticed Denman. The smile on Rikki's face vanished instantaneously, before it then turned to shock, and then to rage. For several seconds, there was only silence as old enemies faced off. The air began to get hotter and hotter because of Rikki's powers, causing Sara to begin to sweat from both the heat and anxiety, wondering if this was a good idea or a terrible plan.

"You…" Rikki whispered, too angry to get any more words out.

"Hey Rikki! Who is it?" Cleo called, walking towards the door. "Oh Sara! You're here, we were…" And then she noticed Denman…

That's when Rikki exploded. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BRING DENMAN HERE?" She turned to Sara, her face full of rage, grabbing her shoulders and shoving her back into the door frame angrily. Sara fought free and stepped between the two girls and Denman, trying to stop any violence that could occur.

Cleo's face angrily formed as well, but she said no words, still trying to comprehend what was going on. "I brought her here to rebuild bridges. I'm not gonna allow you all to hate her without giving her another chance," Sara defended, trying to remain calm. _Ok this is not going how I wanted it to go at all. Should've expected this though._

"Sara! You know what she did to us! You know why we don't trust her!" Cleo exclaimed furiously. "Why would you bring her to where we live? The one person that hurt us and you bring her here!"

Just then, Bella walked up. "Why is Denman here with Sara?" She questioned. "Doesn't she know what Denman did to you!"

"Denman's on our side!," Sara explained. "She's worked tirelessly to help me! She can be trusted! I wanted to at least have some kind of truce between us!"

"Can I say someth-" Denman began.

"SHUT UP!" Rikki, Cleo, and Bella yelled simultaneously.

"Well it's obviously not working!" Rikki chastised Sara. "You brought her to the one place we're supposed to feel safe!"

"She's the one person who tried to ruin us!" Cleo added. "And you thought it was a good idea to bring her here!"

"Yeah. I get it! You hate her! You can't accept that she's changed! But there's one who has. Emma," Sara fired back. "She forgave Denman for everything she had done to you. Why do you think Elliot is one of her interns? Emma trusted her enough with her brother! Don't you deserve to hear her out?" Sara looked through the three furious girls in front of her to see a cheery blond haired and tan girl standing in the living room, staring out at the commotion at the front door. "You… must be Emma…" Sara spoke to her.

Emma smiled warmly. Bella, Cleo, and Rikki whipped around to see Emma. "You forgave her?" Rikki blurted.

Emma slowly sauntered over to the group and stepped through and embraced Denman in a big hug, much to the shock of everyone. "It's good to see you again, Linda," Emma spoke.

Denman's tense demeanor lessened. "Same to you, Emma. How have you been?" She asked.

Emma released Denman. "I've been well. I came here to visit my old friends Cleo, Rikki, and Bella. As well as meet, for the first time, the infamous Sara Meyer," She spoke gesturing to Sara. "By the way, it's good to meet you for the first time."

"Uh… likewise…" Sara stuttered, shaking Emma's hand. "Elliot's told me a lot about you."

"Ok hold up. Can someone please explain what the fuck is going on?" Cleo angrily exclaimed, which was highly unusual of her.

Sara smirked. "I told you. Emma forgave Denman. And, Denman is working to make things right for me. I want to make sure we're all on the same page."

"Emma… You should probably explain to everyone why you forgave Denman so we're not left in the dark," Rikki spat, no longer in rage but still seething. "You did it behind our back and without telling us until now. We deserve a real explanation."

"Well, looks like our formal introduction has to be cut short," Emma joked to Sara. "At least for now. Alright come on. I didn't want to tell this story because I knew you all would react this way. 'How dare I forgive Denman?' was what I kept running through my mind. I thought you all would hate me for it."

Cleo put her hand on Emma. "With all we've been through, it would be very hard for us to hate each other," She encouraged. "Even if you forgave Denman without talking to us. But Rikki's right. We deserve an explanation."

"Sure we might get extremely angry. But never hate you," Rikki added . "Think you're an idiot for doing it. But never hate."

Emma smiled. "I'm glad we're all back together on this. So… now, let's get inside so I can tell the story."

The six of them entered the apartment and closed the door. Cleo led them over to the couches in the living room. Sara and Denman sat on one side, while Cleo, Rikki and Bella sat on the other couch facing them. They were still very skeptical, so Sara didn't blame them.

Emma pulled up a chair in front of the three of them. She rubbed her palms together, trying to figure out how to begin. "So, what's the story?" Cleo questioned. "Emma, you know we trust you. But you need to explain everything that's happened."

"Ok… We have to go back a ways. Back 9 months ago. Back to the sunny shores of Florida…" Emma began.

 **You all wanted more Emma, well you're definitely gonna get more of her. Keep updated. With finals literally knocking on my door, I may need to wait a couple more weeks for the next update. But, stay tuned. I'll be back soon with the next chapter!**


	54. Chapter 53: Beginning to Forgive

**Sorry it's been a while. With finals, then a vacation, and now Christmas, this was the first time I had enough down time to get some work done on the story. But anyway, the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 53: Beginning to Forgive**

 _9 months ago…_

Emma Gilbert casually checked the clock on her phone. "2:45" shown back at her. She still had fifteen minutes before she had to be at work. It was only a five minute walk to the hotel where her job was, giving her the last few minutes of rest before she had to leave her apartment. Working the front desk wasn't a really bad gig, and especially with summer and tourist season approaching for Clearwater, she would get a hefty paycheck before returning to university the following fall.

Just then, her roommate, Claire yawned and walked into the kitchen, still in her sleepwear. "Did you just wake up? This late?" Emma joked playfully.

"Well… Since today is Friday and I don't have class, I can sleep in and do what I want. I don't need your judgement," Claire teased back. Emma laughed and took another sip of her coffee. Claire was a nice girl. She was a bit ditzy and lazy, but she did have a good heart. "Going to work soon?"

"Yeah… In a few minutes I will," Emma replied, rechecking her phone. "Well… I might as well go now. Don't want to be late."

"Godspeed to you! Make the American men swoon over your awesome Aussie accent," Claire quipped.

Emma just rolled her eyes. "Oh whatever… I mean, whatever gets me good tips I suppose." Emma waved bye to Claire and stepped out of the door.

The sticky heat hit her immediately. Even though it was the middle of April, it was still brutally hot in Florida. Sure, she was from Australia and used to heat, but there was something about the Florida sun and humidity that made everything worse. She scuttled along the street quickly, heading directly to her hotel. The walk went quick, and soon she stepped into her hotel, a ten story tall Holiday Inn near the beach.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief as she entered in the air-conditioned lobby. The cooling wave of air rolled over her, and Emma relaxed a bit. Her co-worker at the front desk, Helen, waved her over. She was roughly the same age as Emma, cheery and bright. Maybe she was just happy since she got to go home because Emma showed up. Either way she seemed chipper. "Good! You made it!" Helen beamed.

"What's the news today?" Emma asked, stepping behind the front desk and clocking in.

"The hotel has been mostly dead all day from what I've seen. Not many people checking in today," Helen informed. "Although…" Helen pointed Emma toward the hotel bar on the other side of the lobby. Only one person was sitting at the bar; a woman with blond hair. She was hunched over at the bar, only casually taking a sip from her drink every now and then with a shaky hand. But, she was clearly intoxicated.

"Who's that?" Emma asked.

"Some woman who came in here earlier this morning. She's just been drinking there for hours. The bartender is about ready to cut her off. She keeps mumbling about how she ruined her career and her life. She made a huge mistake and destroyed everything she cared about," Helen explained. "That's a direct quote through her drunken ranting."

Emma raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I don't know what that even means," She replied.

Helen only shrugged. "Beats me… She sounds like she's in a career rut or something. But, she's hammered though so I doubt anything that comes out of mouth will be anything coherent or logical." Helen grabbed her bag from the behind the desk and clocked out. "Either way, my shift is over. So, good luck with her!" Helen quickly exited, leaving Emma standing there alone and bewildered.

Emma looked out over on the woman at the bar. Her back was mostly to Emma, so she couldn't see the woman's face. But, she did look distraught. _What career calamity could cause someone to drink that heavily at 3 in the afternoon?_ Curiosity got the best of Emma, and she casually walked over to the bar. She nodded at the bartender, who just shrugged and gestured at the woman like he was trying to say that even he didn't know what was going on. Emma leaned against the bar next to the woman. Surprised by Emma's sudden appearance, the woman jerked back and looked straight at her.

Emma's body went completely cold…. She knew the woman… It was the woman who almost destroyed everything for her and her friends. The vilest woman Emma had ever seen. And, she was staring straight back at Emma. The woman recognized the connection as well, and her eyes went big as she stared at Emma. Her face went pale. For a moment, no one moved. Then, the woman chuckled, turning back to her drink. "My demons must be coming back to haunt me," She slurred, spinning her glass along the counter. "Sorry miss, you jus' look a lot like a girl I used to know a long long long time ago… I almost ruined her life... That mistake has been haunting me ever since that.. blasted day. It's why I'm in this fuckin mess right now. Every moment I'm reminded how much a failure I am, that I destroyed someone's life for my own gain.. Like what is my career anymore…"

Emma spoke flatly. "Hello Dr. Denman."

Dr. Denman jerked back, even more afraid this time. "No… it is you… You're… No… but that's…" She couldn't finish the sentence. But, in a quick moment, the initial shock ended. Denman chugged the last third of her drink and set it back down on the bar. "The Universe must love it some good ol fashioned irony… Or is that karma..? Whatever it is, it's funny you would see me at my lowest point. So… what was your name again, Emily? No… Emma right? Anyway, come to gloat now? Now that my career is in ruins…"

"I don't want to brag or gloat about anything," Emma spoke calmly. She was still cautious. Denman seemed mostly harmless now. But, Emma was still on edge talking to her after all these years.

"That's surprising… Ya choose not to, even though you have every right in.. fuck.. every right in the world to beat the piss out of me for what I did to you and your other friendos," Denman ranted. She turned away from Emma. "Bartender! Get me another whiskey. Imma need another."

The bartender shook his head. "I'm sorry Miss. You've had enough to drink. I'm cutting you off," He spoke firmly.

Denman hung her head. "So, Miss Emma Gillian… How has your life been over the past couple years? No doubt you've been thriving more than me. Or at least I hope so. I've felt pain on whether or not I ruined your life," Denman rambled. "I always imagined you falling into depression or whatever after I took away… ya know. And now I'm the one in this depressive state."

Emma leaned against the bar. "You never ruined my life Denman. Granted, I no longer…you know... am able do the things I used to be able to do because of you… But, even so, I've learned to live a good life despite that. And, I'm happy now," Emma lied. She was only lying about not being able to be a mermaid. She still very much had her tail. But the other stuff… Denman never had ruined anything in her life. She was still living a good life. It was Denman who felt ruined. That guilt began to eat away at Emma's heart.

"Do you 'member the last thing you said to me after all was done that night all that time ago?" Denman questioned.

"I don't recall exactly," Emma trailed off.

"You told me, word for word, 'It's over, why don't you go home.'" Denman picked up her empty glass. "Well fucking ta-da, I made it home. My home now is the bottom of this whiskey glass. This is where I am. And this is where I'll stay. I will not be moved… or whatever."

Denman tried to stand, but almost fell over. Emma rushed to her aid and stabilized her. "Ok… I think we need to get you to your room," Emma spoke, escorting Denman toward the main hallway where the elevators were.

"Right right right right. I had too much of the sauce." Denman muttered. "423 if you please…"

Emma hauled Denman up to her room, which she was able to do without too much incident. When they reached Denman's room, she spent a minute or two fumbling around in her bag for her room key before she finally found it. As soon as they entered the room, Denman collapsed on the bed. "Thank you… Emma…" She spoke slowly. "Thank you for making me realize I didn't ruin you."

"Denman. It is ok… You did a bad thing before. But… you show the capacity for change. So, I think it's ok to let the past stay behind us," Emma replied.

Denman smiled and closed her eyes. "Now… I can get a good night's sleep for the first time in months." And true to form, she was instantly asleep.

Emma stepped away from Denman's sleeping form, honestly confused. _Am I… beginning to forgive Dr. Denman? The woman who almost stole everything from us? But… Why? I don't know if I have the right to forgive her. What would Cleo and Rikki think? No.. I need time to think._

Emma stepped out of the room and sighed. It was obvious that Denman had been absolutely intoxicated, and probably wouldn't even remember the conversation they had, let alone being serious about feeling sorry. Emma walked back down the hall, unsure of what to think. _I need answers. Real answers._

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The next day, Emma re-entered the hotel. It was morning, enough time for Denman to sober up and at least be coherent. Emma was shaky and nervous. This wasn't drunk Denman anymore who could barely control what she said, weak and open. This was the sober and very real Devil Doctor. One that would have very real questions, maybe ones that Emma couldn't even answer. So, Emma prepared questions of her own. She needed to see if Denman was actually serious about being sorry. Or if it was just the alcohol that made her like this. Hopefully it was a situation of "In vino veritas," but Emma wasn't sure.

Helen was at the front desk when Emma arrived, a puzzled look on her face when Emma walked by. "What are you doing here, Emma?" She asked. "Today is your day off. You don't have to be here!"

"Yeah I know. But I'm visiting an old friend who's staying at the hotel," Emma answered before heading straight to the elevator before Helen lobbed another question her way. Within a minute, she was standing outside of Denman's room. Emma raised a hand to knock, but lowered it immediately. She took a step back and began pacing outside Denman's door. _What the fuck am I actually doing here? I shouldn't have come back. She's the enemy! Sure last night I didn't know she was here, but now I'm going into the devil's lair!_ Emma focused and raised her hand again, standing directly in front of the door. _No. I'm done being afraid. Time for answers._ She loudly knocked on the door.

Within a moment, she heard a groan from inside the room. "Go away will ya!" A voice complained. "I don't need housekeeping right now."

"Dr. Linda Denman. I would like to speak with you," Emma proclaimed, feeling courageous.

There was a pause, for a tense minute. But, Emma didn't move. She knew that she needed to do this now. The door slowly creaked open, revealing the timid frame of Denman, blond hair in wild knots, dark bags under her eyes. She looked wildly hungover, which in all fairness she definitely was after all she drank the previous night. Denman looked at Emma, fear and regret in her eyes. "So…" She began meekly. "You're actually here and real. I wasn't sure if we talked in a dream or not… I was pretty pissed last night. Now, I know you're really and saw everything I did and said last night. I don't even remember much of what I said last night. I only remember your face, which is why I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not."

"Well, I'm obviously here Denman… So, what do you think? You talked all last night about how sorry you were for everything you did to me and my friends? So… Is that true? Or was it just drunken rambling and you're still a terrible person," Emma ranted.

Denman hung her head and shame. "So I apologized for everything? Figures… Figures you would be here now to see me at my lowest. Anyway, I probably should tell you everything. So… if you want to come in, it may take a while."

Emma hesitated for a moment. She didn't trust Denman for a moment, and now she was inviting Emma into her room like they were somehow actually old friends instead of enemies. "I don't think I'm going to come in," Emma argued.

Denman sighed and looked at the floor. "I don't blame you. After everything I did to you and your friends, I would hate me too. Well in fact, I do hate me and what I did. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about you and your friends and my failure. I had built my entire career on a strict code of ethics and fight for the 'greater good' of mankind. I was one of the best at that. And then… When I met you and your friends, I threw that all out the window for some personal glory, and fame and fortune. It wasn't until the end that I realized what I had done. When you gave up everything special to escape me, I knew I had become the evil in the world I wanted to fight. Do you remember what you said to me after you gave it all up?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You already explained that quote last night. I told you that it was over and you should go home," Emma replied skeptically. She barely remembered that moment many years ago, but it seemed like Denman had both sober and drunk. That moment seemed to be leaning heavily on her conscience. _Maybe she actually is feeling some amount of remorse._

"Thus my issue with the drinking. That night, as the three of you got out of the water, completely normal, I knew I had failed everything," Denman added.

"Glad I was only completely normal after I gave up… my certain abilities," Emma chastised.

"You had a wonderful gift, one that I was possibly jealous of. And now it's gone, because I ruined everything," Denman whimpered. Emma saw a tear fall off her cheek. Denman quickly wiped it away. "The woeful irony is now though, that you would see me at my lowest point. You look like you have your life together despite giving up your greatest gift, while my life is falling apart because I took it away. Don't take pity on me Emma. I don't deserve it." Denman retreated back into her room and sat back down on her bed, defeated.

Emma once again looked at Denman closely. She actually did seem sad by what she had done. Emma looked back at she had done over the past years since Denman left. She had gotten storm powers, they had dealt with Charlotte, she broke up with Ash, she had traveled the world with her parents, reunited with the girls and met Bella, and moved to Florida with her family and went off to University. She had so many experiences, while barely thinking about Denman. And, during that same time, Denman thought about her, Rikki, and Cleo every day, enough to make her regret everything in her career. _At what point has she suffered enough for her mistakes? And at what point do I become the evil one for refusing to take away the torture she puts on herself every day._ Emma made her choice. She stepped into the room and stood facing Denman.

Denman raised he head, her eyes red and puffy from holding back tears and trying not to cry with Emma there. She really was depressed. Emma couldn't bare to see anyone like this, not even Denman. "What do you want now?" Denman asked, barely keeping her voice from breaking.

"I'll be honest Denman, I can't see you like this, without feeling guilty. You're right. Despite losing my abilities, I have lived a whole life. I have done many great things, enough to be happy with my life now. At the same time, your life is in ruins. I don't want you to give up your entire career. You're too good of a scientist for that. You should not worry about me," Emma spoke.

"What do you mean?" Denman questioned.

It means I forgive you," Emma spoke confidently. Emma saw a wave of relief race across Denman's face. A fear happy tears rained from her eyes, but she wiped them away as well. "I can't speak for my friends, but for myself I forgive you. You have suffered the punishment enough for years, and it's time for you to be free of that pain."

"Thank you Emma," Denman replied quietly. "Thank you." Emma smiled down at Denman who smiled back. For some reason, Emma felt free. She was free from her hate from Denman. And, that was all she needed to feel better.

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 _A few weeks later_

Emma and Elliot walked together down to the docks. Emma had been really cryptic all day about what they were doing, and Elliot was a honestly confused, but he did trust his sister. She only said that she had a surprise for him, but that was all. Soon, his curiosity got the best of him. "Ok Emma, what is this big thing that's going on?" Elliot questioned.

"Ok fine. I suppose it's time to reveal to you," Emma spoke as they neared where they were going. "Look up there." Emma pointed up to a boat in front of them. Denman stood on the deck, moving a box into the cabin. The word "Redemption" was painted on the side of the boat.

"Is that Linda Denman? One of the most famous marine biologists in the world?" Elliot asked, his eyes growing wide.

"Well of course. You said you wanted some experience in the field before deciding if you wanted to study it at University. So, I brought you hear to meet with Dr. Denman, and possibly something better. Her and I are old friends," Emma explained.

"That's amazing. How did you get this whole thing figured out?" Elliot questioned eagerly.

"You can ask her yourself," Emma replied.

The both of them shimmied up the gang plank and onto the deck just as Denman returned out of the cabin with a girl with short brown hair and a serious face behind her. Elliot couldn't believe it. He had done a research project on Denman some years before, and he wanted to learn about her career. Denman smiled when she saw Emma. "Good! You made it! And I see you brought Elliot with you as well."

Denman stepped up and shook Elliot's hand. "I'm a big fan of you Dr. Denman. I'm interested in marine biology so I wanted to see what it was all about," Elliot spoke quickly.

"Well, you are in luck," Denman spoke. "Would you like to explain, Emma?"

Emma smiled. "Elliot, Denman would like to hire you as her intern on a research trip to the Galapagos Islands," She spoke. "It would give you good hands on experience in marine biology if you actually want to go into it for a profession."

Elliot whipped around to Emma. "Wait seriously? Oh wow…. Emma, I don't know what to say…" Elliot trailed off.

"First of all, a thank you would be in order," Emma teased, "But seriously, don't worry about it. I figured this would be good for you." Emma nodded at Denman.

Elliot turned back to Denman. "Wow this is… It's so good. Thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down!"

Denman smiled. "I don't doubt it. I owed a favor to Emma anyway, so this was a good idea for both of us." Denman motioned to the girl behind her. "This is Laura Collins by the way. She is my other intern. Laura, this is Elliot Gilbert."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Elliot spoke, shaking her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise," Laura answered politely. "Just as long as I don't have to babysit you."

Everyone laughed. Elliot turned back to Emma and hugged her deeply. "Thank you Emma. This means so much to me."

Emma patted Elliot on the back. "Anything for my younger brother. Now go have fun."

Emma watched Elliot go with Denman and Laura back into the cabin. A small amount of hesitation entered Emma. She wondered if she made the right choice. As she descended the gangplank, she felt more confidence in her decision. It was good for her to forgive Denman and let Elliot be her intern. She felt really happy with herself with what she had done. And, that was just fine with her.

 **You all said you wanted more Emma. Well, here you go. An entire chapter was dedicated to her. I hope you liked it!**


	55. Chapter 54: In All Honesty

**Chapter 54: In All Honesty**

 _Present Day_

The last words of Emma's story rang out over the living room, and she fell silent, waiting for the reaction of everyone else around her. Her story covered them all like a blanket, and it took a while for every detail to fully sink in, digested, and analyzed. Nobody had an idea what to say first. Sara looked across at Bella, Rikki, and Cleo. The three were utterly confused, surprised, bewildered, angry, and proud all at once. Sara had no way to describe the emotion on their faces. Rikki broke the silence. "That's… impossible…" She squeaked out. "How…"

"Of course it's possible," Emma deadpanned. "Because it actually happened. Yes. I forgave Denman for what she did to us. But, there was a point to it. I couldn't see her like that, her life in ruins. I thought that seeing karma totally ruin her life would make me feel a sense of righteousness. But, when I saw it actually happening, it just made me feel sick. So, the only way I could get rid of it was to forgive her."

"You should've talked to us about it," Cleo added. "We had no idea you had even seen Denman, let alone forgiven her. That would've been so much better for all of us instead of being completely ignorant to it."

"I didn't know what to say…" Emma trailed off. "There was no right way to tell you that I had forgiven her." Rikki started to say something, but fell silent, she couldn't find the right words to say and was speechless. "I'm sorry I didn't talk about it," Emma continued on. "I know how much you both hated her. So, if you hadn't seen her in that moment, you never would've known how I felt and why I forgave her."

"If you want proof of her change, look at what she's done for me," Sara spoke up. All eyes turned to her. "When she first found out about my mermaid abilities, she never wanted any harm to come to me. She worked extremely diligently so that we both could understand why I was like this. And when I was revealed publicly, she was one of the first by my side to help me deal with the fallout."

"So… what do you all say?" Denman spoke up. Finally gaining the courage. "Do you think you can all forgive me?"

"I never wanted to be put in this position. Denman. I personally never in a million years thought it would come to this… that we would be in the same room again." Cleo trailed off. "Ok… Because of what Emma told us, and what you've already done for Sara… I suppose that I will be able to forgive you."

"I never was hurt by you," Bella added. "So I can't speak how Cleo and Rikki feel. But, I support whatever they believe. And Cleo says she can forgive you. So that means I can too."

All eyes turned to Rikki. She looked at each face, contemplating hard. "Ugh… I've never been good at this. Forgiveness sucks sometimes. Holding grudges is easier. But… if I never forgave people, I would never continue to be friends with these girls, and I never would've dated Zane as long as I have. So… It'll be tough… But I think I can be able to forgive you…"

"Hooray!" Emma exclaimed, hugging the three other girls. Even Denman managed a smile. For the first time in a long time, she felt as though her debt had been paid.

"So… With that all out of the way… what's next?" Bella asked. "I'm guessing you're here, Sara, for more than just getting the girls to forgive Denman."

"Right of course. Emma invited me here to meet her. And, there are a few things I need to discuss with all of you. First thing, it's good that you all are forgiving Denman. But… Since, we're getting everything out in the open…" Sara began, unsure how to continue. "Denman… knows… that you all have your powers back…"

"Wait what?" Rikki blurted out. "How?"

"Take a wild fucking guess who spilled the beans," Sara groaned.

"Zane?" The four other girls spoke at the same time.

Sara chuckled. "You guessed it. He wanted to gloat at how you all got your powers back after tricking her when we met right after my reveal. Told everyone there. That's also how Elliot found out about you Emma."

"Nothing has changed because of that," Denman spoke. "It only gave me somewhat release from the demons that told me I ruined your life. Even the best thing in your life I didn't completely destroy. That helped clear my conscience."

"Ugh… Fine, yeah we're still mermaids," Cleo groaned. "Which is why we need to be doubly careful with Sara's reveal. The more mermaids that can be revealed, the more precarious our situation is. And the more that are revealed, the more people have the opportunity to fear us."

"Wow, look at the philosopher over here," Rikki joked.

"Shut it," Cleo snapped.

"So… Onto the next point I should tell you all," Sara spoke. "It's gonna affect all of us mermaids, no matter what..."

"Oh no don't tell us. Let me guess. We're all screwed?" Rikki complained sarcastically.

"Is it bad?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh… Maybe? I don't know. It could very well be. It just makes our situation more complex than anything," Sara answered.

"What's the issue?" Bella asked.

"There are three more mermaids to deal with..." Sara admitted. Shocked faces hit every girl in the room. Nobody knew how to react. "They all got changed in a new moon pool on the island called Isla Delfin two weeks ago on the full moon. There's another moon pool just like the one on Mako… just like the ones we changed in… and..." Sara slammed her mouth shut. She just revealed how to become a mermaid to Denman.

"Did you just…" Cleo began.

"With her here?" Rikki questioned.

"Come on Sara!" Bella added.

"What's the big deal? But how did…." Realization popped up on Denman's face. She now knew everything. Either way. She had to be trusted.

"Linda… I know there were a lot of things I had to keep from you. This was one of them," Emma spoke. "Even so... it looks like that we now are on the same page now, whether you wanted to be or not."

"In all honesty, there's no way I'm going to tell anyone about this. I've seen how that lust for knowledge corrupts people. It corrupted me. That scares me. I will never tell anyone about this," Denman affirmed.

"Well, since we're on the same page now," Sara began again. "We have bigger fish to fry. There are three more mermaids right here in California!"

"Did you meet them?" Bella asked.

"Yes, I met them yesterday. They're all fifteen year old girls from a small town outside of Los Angeles called Perdido Beach. And, they barely understand what they're getting themselves into. They literally just became mermaids two weeks ago. Yes, it's the same full moon that changed Farley. But, Farley's more mature and had the benefit of all of us around him. These girls are somewhat clueless about being a mermaid," Sara put in.

"Ok. Tell us everything about how you met and what you know about them," Cleo spoke.

Sara quickly went over the past week from getting the letter in the mail from AMK, the offer from Benjamin McKay to come to California for the music video, and meeting Anna on set. She then detailed meeting the other two, Luisa and Fallon, and going over their powers and seeing Isla Delfin. She left nothing out. They all needed to know about the three new mermaids. "So, I left them with the best info I could about what we know about being mermaids. But… I'm not sure if that's enough…" Sara trailed off.

"Sometimes that's the best you can do," Emma stated. "Do they know about us? Like Me, Rikki, Cleo, and Bella"

"No," Sara spoke. "I didn't know if that would be good or not. I told them about Mia and Katy… But I hadn't seen you in a while and I wanted to make sure it was ok to tell them about you."

"I think you should," Cleo spoke. "They deserve to know that we exist. And besides, as mermaids we all need to stick together."

"Another thing," Emma added in, "I think it would be a good idea if we met them in person too. You've done well, but with Cleo, Rikki, and Bella living here in California and a lot closer to them, we could at least contact them."

"I agree," Bella added. "I've been a mermaid for the longest out of anyone here. If there's anyone who understands how to keep the secret, it would be me. I'm not bragging I swear. I'm just stating a fact."

"Well good for you then. I'd give you a prize but I seem to have left it back in Australia," Sara teased. "But, it at least appears like we have a good plan in place. We'll set up a time in the next week for them to meet you all. This is a big deal now… And I want to make sure all the mermaids in this world are safe."

Cleo sighed. "A noble goal to work for. But, we must be careful… There are surely those that want to use us and abuse us. We must be cautious until the public fully accepts our place in the world."

"She's right," Rikki spoke up, "Right now, you are the only mermaid revealed. If the public found out there's more of us… it might not end right. But, we must work together for a strong future."

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Marian took a sip of her coffee, careful not to burn her tongue on the scalding hot drink. She was sitting at her kitchen table, reflecting on the past couple weeks. She had met with Raven a couple days before and talked about Sara's two friends Mia and Katy. Did she feel a little bit of guilt over it? She really despised both of them, Katy especially for taking Mitch away from her. But… since he was leading a double life and purposefully tricking her, was it actually good to get rid of him? A blessing in disguise?

Then of course, she found Aaron and dated him for a while. But, as soon as he found he could sell the footage of Sara's reveal and cut Marian completely from it, he was gone in a flash too, leaving her all alone to spiral into sadness. Marian took another sip of her coffee. _Maybe I need to rethink my high school popularity. Cuz as soon as Sara gets back to school, she'll be the most popular person for sure. Or… Mermaid… or whatever… God what can I do with my life now._

A knock at the door pulled Marian out of her spiral. She shook her head and stood up. _Now who could that be?_ She yawned and walked over to the door. She opened it and was surprised to see Raven grinning back at her. "Oh.. Raven? What do you want? I already gave you all the information I had about mermaids," Marian spoke. "And you told me my info wasn't that useful anyway."

Raven only chuckled. "But of course. I wanted to thank you. You gave me plenty of good info actually, and I wanted to talk to you about something. I'm ready for a bold plan. Forget about revealing mermaids. That has gotten both you and me nothing obviously. And you know better than anyone, especially that you're now obscure even though you were the one who revealed Sara."

"Yeah. But I want nothing more to do with any of that anymore. I want nothing to do with mermaids." Marian admitted. "I don't care about it anymore. It's gotten me nowhere and I want to give it up."

"Sad. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be my sidekick. We would've made a great team," Raven snided. "Either way it doesn't matter. I've got a plan. And I wanted to say thank you for all the information that you gave me." Raven turned to leave.

"Wait! You're going after Mia and Katy aren't you?" Marian called out. "But you said you don't care about revealing mermaids anymore. And there's no evidence that they're even mermaids! You even said that."

Raven stopped in her tracks. She turned around and smiled creepily at Marian. "You're right I don't," She spoke inching closer to Marian until she was uncomfortably close. "I won't ever get the attention I deserve doing that… In all honesty, I'm going to find them blackmail them. I'm going to force them to tell me the secret to becoming a mermaid. And, when I figure that out, I'm going to turn myself into a mermaid." Marian shockingly stepped back. Raven turned and walked away, calling back to Marian as she left. "You should've been my sidekick Marian. We would've made a great team. And, you would've made a good mermaid. But since you won't help me, stay out of my way or else it'll end badly."

Marian stared out in silence as Raven disappeared around the corner. _She's delusional… She's going to hurt them or worse!_ Marian thought to herself. She paced back to her kitchen, debating her options. There was only one logical thing to do. Marian hated it. But, it was the only thing that made sense, the only one to actually be helpful for once, no matter what happened; to actually think of more than herself. _I'm going to warn Mia and Katy. As much as I hate it. They deserve to know._

 **I have good news and bad news for my loyal readers. The good news is that part 2 of this story is getting very close to being done and let me say, what I've planned out is going to be awesome and emotional. But there is bad news. I may need to take a few more weeks to write it all. I just finished writing chapter 59, and it literally took me since the beginning of December to finish it all. And the next few chapters after that will take even longer.**

 **The story at that point will be very dense and long to write. However, I promise it will be worth it for all of you. Be patient with me and I promise you will be rewarded with an awesome end to part 2.**


	56. Chapter 55: Share This Secret

**Chapter 55: Share This Secret**

Monday morning and Sara was back on the set of the music video. Most of her scenes where she looked terrified and chained to that dentist's chair from hell were completely done for the moment. So, she didn't have much to do that day. Farley on the other end was very busy. He had to begin shooting his first scenes. The main one was where his character had to break into the building where Sara's character was being held. This involved Farley learning basic gun and fighting skills which took up most of the first part of the day. Sara kept out of the way, as best as she could. Every so often, a random crew member would meekly come up to her and ask to sign an autograph for them, their daughter, their sister, or some other random person they knew. Sara didn't mind. She accepted this to be an inevitability of being a famous mermaid.

Sara sat down in the chair with her name stitched on the back after signing five autographs in a row, sighing in relief. "Feeling exhausted?" Zane asked her from his chair.

"A little," Sara chuckled. "I knew from the beginning this is what being a celebrity was going to be. And if I have to sign a few hundred autographs then so be it. At least the people will love me. Just as long as they don't sell them all on the internet."

The both of them looked out onto the open space where Farley was in the midst of a harsh training segment with a martial arts instructor. Farley was faster than expected, picking up his new skills quickly. "He's looking good out there," Zane noted. "He's taking to his new role really well too."

"He's spent the last six months doing workouts with Blake, so now he's quite the athletic guy," Sara added, a nice smile on her face. "It makes him pretty attractive."

"Hey, it's funny. It's almost like you've got a little crush on him… Oh that's right you're actually dating him," Zane teased.

"Is it ok to have a crush on my boyfriend?" Sara fired back. "I'm sure you have a crush on Rikki."

"That's a fair point," Zane admitted with a far away look in his eyes. "Still… I'm just hoping she has a chance to visit me while I'm in California…"

"Is it hard with your long distance relationship?" Sara asked.

"It can be sometimes… I wish we were closer together obviously. But sometimes there's nothing you can do. The Cafe is growing really well right now for me, and I'm looking to turn it into a really successful brand. Rikki's going into business administration and marketing so she can graduate and help me develop the Cafe and create more locations and possibly franchise it. Just, gotta wait a couple years for that to happen though. Then, we'll be together again, doing what we do best."

"God, you two are just too cute," Sara teased. Zane just rolled his eyes and concentrated on Farley's training. Sara stood up and walked back over to the refreshment table. She grabbed a few cocktail shrimp and ate them quickly, trying to make her hunger subside. Pondering it, she took a few more and slammed them down as well. _It's an odd side effect of my mermaid tail that I really love seafood now_.

Sara looked over and saw Anna over to the side talking with her father. Anna looked up and noticed Sara, and she waved at Sara excitedly. She quickly said something to Ben and trotted over to Sara. "Hey!" She called out when she was close. "How are you doing today Sara?"

Sara smiled at Anna. "I'm doing good. Better than usual. How have you, Luisa, and Fallon been adjusting with, you know, what I talked to you about?" She asked.

"I think we're adjusting to the bigger world out here of mermaids," Anna spoke quietly. They moved away, out of the main area so their conversation could be more private. "Cuz there's you, me, Fallon, Luisa, and your two friends who are all mermaids."

Sara breathed outwardly, remembering what Emma said. "Well, in all fairness. That's actually wrong." She admitted. Anna looked up at her confused. "I know… others too."

"There are more of us?" Anna questioned.

"Yes. And speak quieter. There are four more to be exact. At least that's who I know about anyway. They live in San Diego right now. Here's the even crazier thing. They've been mermaids for multiple years, much longer than my friends and I. With the longest one being a one for almost fifteen years."

"But that's impossible!" Anna exclaimed.

"Quiet! And yes, it seems odd. But it is the truth. I've been talking to them recently. They really want to come meet you and your friends here. And I suspect they may do that soon."

"I don't know… As you saw last time, our group isn't good for meeting new mermaids," Anna admitted.

"Doesn't matter," Sara chided. "You all know what is going on. All mermaids need to be on board with each other. I think Fallon and Luisa will warm up to them quicker than me. But still, we cannot afford to fall apart, especially with the possibility that any one of us is revealed."

"I… On that note…" Anna trailed off.

"What is it?" Sara asked. "Interesting segway by the way."

"So, I know that this is a bit weird for me to say… But, I want to tell someone close to me that I'm a mermaid…" Anna spoke softly.

"Are you sure? Sara questioned strongly. "Once you tell your secret to someone, it's gone. You can't take it back. They can do whatever they want with that information. They can either help you or hurt you with it. There's very little in between. So you must have absolute trust in this person. I told you that you needed a non-mermaid who knows your secret… But, you have to be absolutely sure they are the right choice."

"You told me I should!" Anna fired back. "We need someone we can trust."

"Are you absolutely sure? No matter what?"

Anna's demeanor calmed for a moment. "I…I think I can trust this person. It's my boyfriend David. We've been together for almost a year, and I really like him…" Anna spoke softly. "I believe I can trust him. And I want to share this secret with him. This… awesome secret."

"You're absolutely sure? What about your father? He seems like a better and more logical choice than your boyfriend. Plus, he works for a company with a lot of resources. He can possibly give you any help you might need," Sara suggested.

Anna shook her head. "Maybe I'll tell my father. But not now. And the fact that you're doing so well now shows that it won't be a death sentence if I'm revealed. I'm sure now. I want to tell David," she spoke confidently. "And Farley did find about you and loved and accepted you before he became a merman. So it's not that far-fetched."

"Ok. If you're absolutely sure about this, I suppose I can support your decision... What do you need from me?" Sara asked.

"I want you to come with me, give me moral support. Obviously I don't want to get Fallon and Luisa involved because if it does go bad, at least I can save them from embarrassment."

"I know that feeling," Sara spoke. "Ok. When I'm free, I'll meet up with you and we can do it. I'll be with you the whole way. Better that I get you through it and be there to explain a few things to him."

Anna hugged Sara tightly. "Thank you so much!" She exclaimed. "Oh this will be such a relief to get this off my chest. I feel like I've been so distant lately to him and this will finally be a good way to get through to him." Anna took off before Sara had a chance to say anything more.

 _What have I gotten myself into..._ Sara moaned. She walked back to her seat in a fog, the wild thoughts piling in. _Is it such a good idea to allow her to tell her boyfriend? I mean he could be a really good asset… But… then again I don't know._

Zane noticed Sara was having a hard time concentrating when she sat back down. "Is something troubling you? I saw you go talk to that black girl again. You two must be good friends," he spoke.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sara asked. "How did you find out that Rikki was a you know..? And, how did you react?"

"That's a really random and odd question," Zane noted.

"I know, but I'm trying to just think about stuff. And it's a question I had that's all…" Sara answered quickly, trying to deflect her true motivations. She didn't want to keep the other mermaids a secret from Zane. But she felt that it wasn't her place at the moment, despite spilling it to Denman.

"It's a story full of irony," Zane chuckled. "I was obsessed with mermaids for a long time. I thought was saved by one from drowning, but everyone told me I was crazy. Turns out that was actually Emma, fun fact. Anyway, nobody believed me. Rikki and I were dating at the time and she told me to let it go. I didn't. I got involved with Denman who had an idea of who the mermaids were, and she had captured some. I got so excited and showed up on Mako to see the mermaids. And ta-da! Rikki was one of them… And, well that's what Denman wanted redemption from, and yeah. That's how things came full circle."

"Ok… There's a lot to unpack in that story…" Sara added. "But, what did you think?"

"I was honestly sad that she kept the secret from me for so long… But, I knew I had to save her. So, Lewis and I did a daring rescue plan that actually worked," Zane explained.

"But what was your first reaction when you saw her as a mermaid? What was going through your mind?"

Zane furrowed his brow. "Sara what's going on? Why are you trying to drill down so far?"

"I'm just thinking out loud here… People are gonna find out about mermaids, and I just wanted your perspective on everything," Sara lied.

"Sara… You need to tell me what's going on… I can help give you perspective. We need to keep our group together, with no secrets," Zane pleaded.

"Sorry Zane… I… I need some time to think," Sara spoke, and she bolted away. Sara ended up wandering around the set in a daze. _Is it really a good idea for her to reveal herself to her boyfriend? I mean… This could work out but…_

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Sara leaned back in one of the thick arm chairs in her hotel room. This was the safest place she could think to do Anna's reveal. Anna stood pacing about back and forth in front of her, breathing really deeply. Sara could tell she was very nervous. This was the first time she was revealing her secret to someone who wasn't another mermaid. Anna sat down in the other chair for a moment, but then got back up and began pacing once more. "Hey Anna. You need to relax," Sara spoke, grabbing Anna's arm to get her attention. "It's going to be ok. I'm right here with you."

"Ok… This is just crazy though! Like I'm actually gonna reveal myself… I trust David… But this is like a big deal!" Anna rambled.

"I know how you're feeling Anna. I've been there too," Sara comforted her. "The first person is always a huge step. At least you have the opportunity to reveal yourself to your boyfriend on your own terms. I didn't get that with Farley. I mean it worked out in the end, but it was still scary. Remember, I'm right here with you."

"Ok…" Anna breathed deeply, calming herself. "I can do this." Someone knocked loudly on the door, and Anna jumped into the air. Sara stood quickly, startled by the knock as well. "Oh my god… It's him! What do I do?"

"It's ok," Sara grabbed Anna to break her out of her anxiety. "Go answer the door. I'm right here."

Anna breathed one deep breath, finally calming herself. She nodded at Sara, then sauntered over to the door, and she thrust the door open to reveal a tall and skinny boy with a cocky smile. He had shaggy blond hair that hung low toward his shoulders. He looked like a stereotypical surfer boy, cocky attitude and all. "Hey David! You made it!" Anna exclaimed before giving him a big hug.

David kissed Anna on the lips quickly. "I came as soon as I could. What seems to be…" David stopped in his tracks. He noticed Sara immediately. "Whoa.. You're Sara Meyer… the mermaid chick!"

"In the flesh," Sara joked. David walked up and shook her hand. "The real life mermaid chick as you call it."

"It's cool to meet a celebrity like you! But, what are you doing here, and how do you know Anna?" David questioned.

"We'll get to that," Sara spoke, being vague. "Anna would like to talk to you about something. I'm friends with her and I came for moral support."

"Wow that's cool…" David trailed off. He turned to Anna. "What's this big thing you wanted to talk to me about? Especially since you have an actual celebrity for your moral support."

Anna faltered. "I-I I have this thing… It's a big life-changing thing… That well, I trust you enough and I want you to be a part off…"

David scowled. "Anna… What's going on?" Why won't you just tell me what's up with you?" he questioned.

Anna breathed deeply again. "Ok… David, sit down on the bed. I need to show you something."

Following her advice, David sat on the edge of the bed while Anna returned to her spot in the other arm chair. "Ok Anna, now can you explain what this is about?" David asked again. "Quit stalling and just tell me already."

Anna put her hand on the glass of water next to her, but didn't move it. She looked hopefully at Sara, who nodded approvingly back at her. Anna, shakingly picked up the glass of water, careful not to spill any until she was ready. "This might explain why I've been a bit distant over the past couple weeks," Anna spoke to David. Anna looked back one more time at Sara, who again nodded at her again, wanting her to get on with it. Finally being ready, Anna dumped a small amount of water onto her foot.

David blinked several times, completely confused on why Anna just spilled water onto her foot. He looked at both Anna and Sara for clarification, but nothing. Then…. It dawned on him. His eyes grew wide. The water and why Sara was there, it all made sense. Before the transformation came…. He knew. In that very instant, he realized Anna was a mermaid. Anna's tail appeared in a bright shimmer, revealing itself in all it's glory, the copper scales reflecting off of her dark skin. Anna, looked at David, her eyes wide as the final realization of what she had just done was now apparent. "Anna…" David squeaked out. "What are you…"

"I'm…. a…. Mermaid…" Anna spoke softly. "Just like Sara…"

David's eyes shot to Sara. "What did you do to her? Why is she like this?" he exclaimed.

Sara frowned. "Easy there Tiger, put your fangs away," She condescended. "I didn't do anything to her. She became a mermaid before I met her. When I was revealed, she sought me out to help her. She felt alone, much as I felt for the longest time."

"And… I felt it was the right time to tell you…" Anna spoke up timidly.

David stepped up and knelt at Anna's tail, he hesitated and reached out and brushed his fingers against the orange scales. He jerked his hand back after a moment. "It's… kinda slimy," he noted.

"That's to help reduce drag while swimming," Sara explained.

"So… David… what do you think?" Anna asked.

David stood up suddenly, brushing his thick black hair back and massaging his forehead. "I don't know Anna…. This whole thing now…. The fact that there's more than Sara… I just… I need time to think it through," He mumbled, trying to grasp what was happening.

Sara handed a towel to Anna, who dried herself off quickly. When her legs returned, she stood up and attempted to hug David. David jerked back instantly. He stepped back and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry… Anna… This is such a big thing… I need time to think about this…" He rambled.

"Please David. Remember that I'm still me…" Anna pleaded. "This doesn't change anything about me."

"But then again it changes everything…" David spoke. "I'm sorry Anna. Give me some time to piece things together. I'll… come find you later." Without a hesitation, he hurried out of the room, leaving Anna in complete shock..

Anna sat down in the chair, head in her hands. "This is a complete disaster," She cried. "My biggest secret ever, and David can't even accept me. What if he tells everyone my secret?"

Sara sighed. "You have to trust him. Give him time. He needs to go over everything in his mind. Finding out your girlfriend is a mermaid is really tough. My friend Katy went through it with her boyfriend Mitch. Everyone was scared for a while that he would reveal her to the world. But he didn't, and he's a good ally to have. Be patient with David. He'll come around."

Anna sighed, staring longingly out the window. "I really hope you're right Sara."

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Anna sat in her living room, watching tv. She went back home to Perdido Beach after revealing herself to David. The anxiety hit her pretty hard. She had not heard anything from David, and she even tried texting him a few times, but she received no reply. Luckily, her father was busy with work and wouldn't be home for a while, so she at least got privacy with her thoughts. Better than having to explain what she was feeling to her father.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Another hit of anxiety it her. _Could it be paparazzi? Did David already reveal me?_ Curiosity got the better of her, and she sauntered over to the door. She flung it open to reveal David, a bright smile on his face. "David! I… What are you doing here?" Anna asked quickly.

David stepped up and gave her a hug. "I just want to apologize for the way I acted earlier today. It wasn't my place," he spoke calmly. They both released the hug and walked over and sat on the couch. "I fully have accepted that you are a… mermaid… And, I have a good idea for the both of us!"

"I'm so happy to hear that you accept what I am," Anna beamed. "What's your idea though?"

"Right so I got to thinking. Your friend Sara has been a public mermaid for a bit now. It's so cool to see how she has been accepted by the public as a whole," David began.

Anna frowned. "Wait… where are you going with this?" She questioned.

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, look what She and Farley have been able to do. They can travel a lot, meet a bunch of other celebrities, live an interesting life, and be famous. They couldn't do that before Sara came out as a mermaid, and later Farley a merman," David explained further.

"Are you trying to tell me that I should go public as a mermaid?" Anna asked, crossing her arms.

David smiled a cheeky smile. "Kind of yes. We already know the public would accept you. Plus when that happens, we'll be able to get invited to all the cool celebrity functions, we'll get famous! Don't you want that? To get rich and famous? That's what can happen to us if we make you public."

Anna stood up, anger slowly rising. "What's this 'we' stuff? I'm the mermaid here. I don't want to reveal myself! Sara's talked to me about what has happened to her. It's not all sunshine and roses. I'm not ready for it!"

David stood up to match her. "Come on Anna think about it! You have a great gift. I'm just saying we should share it with the world."

"I don't want to now though! And why do you keep saying we? You're acting like you want me to go public for your benefit. You get invited to all the celebrity functions with me, you get the fame, and you get the money. I still have to hope that people accept me for who I am!" Anna fought back. "You risk nothing."

David rolled his eyes, annoyed at Anna's hesitation and anger. "They accept Sara and Farley for what they are. Please, they'll accept you."

"You know nothing about that risk. Even revealing myself to you was really scary because I didn't know how you would react. I was feeling anxiety for the past few hours because of you! Now all you think is how you can gain from this. You haven't thought about how I might feel."

"I do care about what you think. I just think we should capitalize on this hype while it's still here," David added.

Anna sighed. "I don't want to go public. I've seen the celebrity life Sara lives, and it's not for me. I don't want that at all."

"You don't hide a gift like this from the world!" David's annoyance broke.

"Don't tell me how to live my life!" Anna yelled back. "I'm having trouble just dealing with high school and you want me to deal with the problems of being a celebrity just so you can gain some public recognition. Oh and I'm sure you'll be the envy of every douchebag because you get to date a mermaid."

David got angry. "Whatever. I'm done here," he stated flatly. "I come here and try to speak my piece and you don't even want to listen to me. Screw this. I'm done." He turned toward the door.

"Fine! Leave then!" Anna called after him as he opened the door. "If you can't fully accept what I am and my wishes, than keep walking out on my life. I don't want to date you anymore!"

David slammed the door behind him, leaving Anna all alone in her living room. The anger seethed through her. David only wanted her to be public for himself. He didn't care about her at all. Anna felt good to get rid of him. But… the adrenaline slowly wore down. David still knew that she was a mermaid. The anxiety started to build once again. _What have I done…._

 **Still working ahead on the story. But things are starting to heat up. I hope you'll stay with me as I continue the story!**


	57. Chapter 56: Bargaining Power

**Chapter 56: Bargaining Power**

Katy had begun to relax for the first time since Sara left for California. Sure, Katy would've loved for her to stay with Team Mako in Gold Coast. It was best for the mermaids to stick together so they could watch each others' backs. But, she had to admit, it was for the best that Sara stay away for the time friendship and close proximity made it more likely that Mia and Katy would be revealed. Katy and Mia couldn't handle that. _I know that I want to go public some day. But, until then, Sara has to stay away from us._

"Hey are you ok?" Mitch asked. Katy blinked a few times, looking up at him as her inner thoughts had dissipated. He had come by to hang out, and they were eating pizza for lunch before going off to meet the rest of the Team on the Redemption.

"I'm fine I swear," Katy spoke. "Just been thinking about Sara a lot."

"You miss her a lot. I can tell," Mitch stated. "You all want to be together, but that increases your chances of being revealed. You can't risk that until you're ready."

"You're right," Katy chuckled. "That's exactly what I'm thinking about right now. Sara is out there thriving. But… there was too much suspicion on us when she was here. Hopefully she does good enough work to get us all accepted as mermaids.

"Just remember that we are all here for you," Mitch spoke. "Still, I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't care about you."

"Aww… and I thought you were dating me cuz I was the most popular girl in the school," Katy teased, referring to Marian

"Don't bring her up," Mitch moaned. "I don't even want to think about her."

"That's fair. But still she is someone we need to worry about," Katy warned. "She found out about Sara somehow. And, she knows that we are very close to her. It won't take her long to make a guess whether we are also mermaids or not."

"And if she does, then we do what Sara did and make sure she doesn't gain anything from revealing you or Mia," Mitch explained. "She's definitely evil, and we have to stay away from her."

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. Katy jumped at the sound. "Hey Mitch… can you go answer it?" She asked. "Better to be safe."

"You can't be scared that anyone or everyone at the door is some terrible person who wants to reveal you," Mitch teased. "But fine, I will answer the door."

Mitch sauntered over to the door and opened it slowly. In front of him was a pale girl with long black hair, hands clasped behind her back she had an air of curiosity about her. "Can I help you?" Mitch asked. She seemed familiar somehow… but he couldn't place her.

"Hello! My name is Ra... Rachel," she stuttered. "Is Katy Arlington around?"

Mitch raised an eyebrow. Something seemed off about the girl's voice, but he couldn't place it either. The way she said some of the words sounded weird. "Yeah sure…" He spoke slowly. He turned back toward Katy. "It's for you," he called back.

"Tell them to come back later," Katy answered.

Mitch rolled his eyes. "Just get up here and talk to this girl. See what she wants."

"Fine!" Katy exclaimed, waltzing to the front of the room. Rachel took a step inside sideways, facing Mitch with her body while turning her head to greet Katy who walked toward her. "What do you want?" Katy spoke flatly.

Rachel reached out her right hand to shake Katy's hand, leaving her left behind her back. "It's a pleasure to meet you Katy. It's an honor to meet a friend of Sara Meyer," She spoke kindly, but there was a sense of sarcasm behind those words.

Anxiety hit Katy. Any mention of Sara around her could be really bad. "Well good to meet you. Now, I would ask you to please leave," Katy spoke quickly.

"Wait a second," Rachel responded. Katy stopped in her tracks. "One more quick thing before you kick me out."

"What is that?" Katy questioned, crossing her arms.

"An experiment," Rachel spoke cryptically. She reached her left arm out, a full bottle of water in the hand, and she lunged outwardly, splashing Katy all over, soaking her with the water.

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"Where are Katy and Mitch?" Mia questioned. She was sitting in the main room on the Redemption with Elliot, Lizzy, and Blake. This was a good place for them to hang out and talk about mermaid stuff. Elliot and Lizzy were gonna talk about meeting the Raven girl at her hotel room. They were just waiting for Katy and Mitch to show up.

"I think they were eating lunch first," Blake spoke up. "Give them some time. It's only five minutes after they said they were gonna meet us. Be patient."

"Hey now, you know patience isn't one of my strong suits," Mia teased.

"We're worrying about nothing," Elliot added. "Raven said she was leaving. We've got no threats to any of you two now that we know of. Don't worry about it. They'll show up soon enough."

"Hello! Is someone in here?" A voice called out from near the deck.

Mia and Blake froze. They immediately recognized the voice. "Do you know who that is?" Lizzy asked.

"Shh!" Mia added quickly. "Shut up!"

It was too late. Marian had heard them. Her face appeared in the window in the door, and she knocked loudly. "Mia! I need to talk to you! It's important!" She exclaimed

"Go the fuck away Marian!" Mia shouted. "You ruined Sara's life! Go die in a hole somewhere!"

"I know that and I'm sorry for what I did!"

"You don't get to be sorry! You intentionally threw water on her to reveal her. You will get nothing from us!"

Marian sighed. "I know we hate each other, Mia. I want nothing to do with you or Katy or Sara ever again. But I have some news you and Katy need to hear. Especially if you're mermaids like Sara."

Mia froze. She looked around at Blake, Elliot, and Lizzy. If Marian knew they were mermaids, it could end badly. But, she needed to see what Marian knew and how she knew it, and if she had something helpful... Against her better judgement, she walked over to the door and flung it open, revealing Marian's surprisingly nervous face. "What do you want Marian? For all I know you're just trying to trick me and you've got a news crew behind you trying to prove how I'm a mermaid."

"Just hear me out ok and then I'm gone. That girl that revealed Farley? Raven? She got absolutely nothing from doing that," Marian responded.

"Yeah? What about it. We know that already," Mia spat. "And good riddance for her. She deserves nothing, just like you."

"She came and found me the other day… She heard somehow that I revealed Sara. She used me to get info on you and then cast me out. With Aaron leaving me and gaining nothing from Sara, I knew that I had made a mistake in trying to be that special mermaid detective person. I wanted no more to do with the mermaid chase or whatever," Marian explained.

"Still not explaining anything," Mia spoke angrily.

"Marian what are you trying to prove?" Blake called out from behind Mia.

"I know Raven's plan. She wants to become a mermaid. She's willing to do anything to become one, like literally anything. She mentioned that she's coming for both you and Katy. She thinks that if you're mermaids, she can prove it, and therefore blackmail you both into giving up the secret to being a mermaid," Marian added.

"Yeah whatever. Sara's the only one anyway," Mia brushed it off casually, while being nervous on the inside.

"Look… I don't know if that's actually the truth, or you're lying because you don't trust me. It doesn't matter to me at all. If you and Katy are mermaids, I would be very careful. She's gunning for you hardcore. She's gone crazy too. I never saw that look in someone's eyes like that. She's gonna do anything she can to reach her goals, even if it means hurting all of you in the process. She's going to lie, cheat, steal, blackmail anyone that gets in her way. I just thought you should know that." Marian answered strongly. "Just so you understand, I hate her too. I want her to fail as much as you do. I just hate you less enough to want to help you get rid of Raven."

"Ok thank you bye," Mia answered annoyingly and slammed the door in Marian's face. "And good riddance." Mia turned back to face the others who were shocked at the interaction.

"Do you think it's that good of an idea to be mean to her?" Elliot questioned. "She might have more good information that we need."

"Did you not hear what she did?" Mia shouted. "She was the bitch who revealed Sara to the world. She's not to be trusted. She even said Raven wrung some info about us out of her. She is probably working with her too to reveal us. I won't stand for it. I will never believe her."

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Katy blinked once. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. The Rachel girl had splashed her all over with water. She had a snarky look on her face. "Gotcha now," She sneered.

Katy flashed back into full alertness. She turned and sprinted upstairs, heading for the bathroom. She had to get away. Mitch reached out and grabbed the Rachel girl's arm. "What the fuck is that for Rachel?" He screamed.

She didn't waste any time. She immediately swung her legs forward, kicking Mitch right between the legs. His eyes rolled back, and he crumbled to the floor, letting go of her arm in the process. A few tears rolled out of his eyes as incredible pain burst through him. She leaned down, incredibly close to his face. "The name's Raven by the way. I found out about Farley and I found out about your girlfriend. Fear what else I can do," She snarled.

Katy was in bad shape. Her tail appeared just as she opened the door to the bathroom, throwing her forward onto the floor, with her glittering fin all the way out into the hallway. She crawled her way forward into the bathroom, trying to close the door before the girl reappeared.

It was too late though, as the shape of the girl swung into the light, standing proudly and triumphantly above Katy. She whipped out her phone and snapped several pictures of Katy's tail up and down. "Who are you! What do you want!" Katy yelled angrily.

The girl knelt down next to Katy. "My name is Raven, my dear mermaid. The same Raven that revealed Farley. Looks like I can do the same to you," Raven sneered. "Unless… I would be kind enough to delete these photos and never speak of this. If of course you provide something for me."

"What do you want!" Katy exclaimed again, fighting back tears.

Raven move closer until she was only a few feet from Katy's face. "Tell me the secret to becoming a mermaid, Katy. That's all I need. You give me that, and I delete these photos, and I won't reveal you to the world," Raven explained creepily. "Your secret will be safe."

"You'll never get that!" Katy cried. "Being a mermaid is special! You would ruin everything it means to be one of us!"

"Doesn't matter. I will get the fame and the fortune, and that's all I need," Raven spoke, standing up and returning to the hallway. She held her phone up to taunt Katy. "I have all the evidence I need to make sure you never have privacy again."

Suddenly Mitch appeared in the doorway. He grabbed Raven's phone before she could react. He took the phone in both hands bent it until it snapped into two different pieces, ruining it for good. Raven stepped back defensively as Mitch through the useless phone bits to the ground. "I think… it's best if you leave right now and never come back," Katy stated angrily.

Raven chuckled. "Fine. I still know you're a mermaid Katy. And based on that, I'm assuming that Mia Hobbs is one as well. Consider my offer Katy. You risk losing your entire privacy to protect your little secret. But, I'll find it out. One way or another." And with that, Raven pushed back Mitch and exited the house, leaving a stunned Katy and Mitch in her wake.

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"Screw Marian. She's just trying to lie to us!" Mia exclaimed, returning to her seat in the main cabin room on the Redemption. "She's trying to get us riled up for nothing."

"What's her story? I feel like there's more history between all of you… Some you're not telling us. Or just me. I don't know what you know that I don't," Lizzy rambled.

"To make a long story short, she's a bitch," Mia spat.

"Yeah, we're gonna need more than that," Elliot added, feeling somewhat annoyed. "We don't know why you hate her. Just as why I didn't understand how Zane hated Denman until they explained it."

"Ok fine. To summarize, Marian was a really popular girl at our school. She created a bad nickname for Sara when Sara literally just moved in. She dated Mitch for a while until Mitch got wise and left her for Katy. Wise move on his part. Anyway, she kinda went off the deep end after that and hated our group, and we hated her. That's why she revealed Sara to get back at us," Mia explained. "Which is why we can't trust anything she's saying."

"Is there anyway we could see if she was telling the truth or not?" Lizzy asked. "Because there's two ways I see it. Either Raven lied to Elliot and I and Marian's telling the truth about her gunning for us, or Raven told the truth and Marian is trying to get us riled up."

"That's really insightful," Elliot noted, smiling in surprise.

"Hey, you know I'm not the happy-go-lucky, ditzy girl who is only here for comic relief," Lizzy teased. "Sometime I can make some good points."

"Ugh…" Mia moaned, rubbing her temples. "So let's hope I'm right then and Marian's a lying sack of shit…. Or Raven is still out there and she believes we're mermaids. Which sucks cuz we actually are and…"

Mia was interrupted by an interesting sound coming from outside. It sounded like a small whine, but it got closer. It became clear until everyone could hear it was a distinct crying sound. Someone was sobbing, and they were trying unsuccessfully to stifle it. They all turned toward the door to see Katy and Mitch enter in. Katy was in absolute tears, trying to wipe them all off with her sleeve, but it wasn't working. "Katy!" Mia exclaimed, tearing out of her seat and up to the crying girl. "What's going on?"

"We've got problems," Mitch stated succinctly as Katy was still trying to compose herself. "We've got a worst case scenario on our hands right now."

"What happened?" Mia questioned.

"That bitch Raven," Katy sobbed. "She somehow found out we're both mermaids… She cornered me at home and splashed me. She knows the truth."

Mia stepped back in shock, leaning back on the chair to support herself so she didn't faint. The air was silent. The worst had definitely come true. "So that means…" Mia trailed off.

"Marian was telling the truth…" Blake finished.

"What the fuck does Marian have to do with this," Mitch growled.

The four of them quickly explained to Katy and Mitch what had happened in the past fifteen minutes, including Marian's shocking revelations, that turned out to be true; Raven was after them. Katy had wiped the tears out of her eyes and had begun to calm down. "We need to talk about what Raven told me… I think… from what you said… Marian is more truthful than you think." Katy spoke after they explained about Marian. She tried to speak it confidently, but the cracking in her voice betrayed her.

"What did Raven tell you…" Mia trailed off.

Katy breathed deeply. "She's blackmailing us. She won't reveal us if… we tell her how to become a mermaid, so she can become one herself," She spoke slowly.

"That's it then… Mako Island will be ruined. She's gonna give up the secret as soon as she becomes a mermaid. It will be destroyed by greedy people who want to take advantage of it for themselves," Mia sighed, a tear falling out of her eyes.

"What are we going to do?" Katy cried. "We don't have any options."

"There is one option…" Elliot spoke up. Everyone turned to him to listen. "She has only one card to play. If you take that away from her, there's nothing she can do and she's back to square one."

"What are you saying? What card can-" Mia stopped abruptly. "Oh no no no no no…" She realized what Elliot was going for.

"It's the only way," Elliot spoke. "And you know it. Well… the only way without murdering Raven."

"I'll take my chances," Mia snapped.

"What are you going on about?" Katy sniffled.

"The only way we can defeat her is by going public ourselves… take away any bargaining power she had," Mia spoke angrily. "That won't end well."

"People already love Sara, so it won't be that hard for them to love you," Lizzy spoke as well. "Use the fact that you all got your tails at the same time, and Sara loved you so much she wanted to protect you. But now you can be best friends in your mermaid ability. That's your pitch."

"That's actually a smart idea…" Blake stated.

"I literally just said I can have good ideas too," Lizzy fired back. "And I do work for a television network too."

"Ok screw this… I'm done running and hiding," Mia spoke proudly. She turned to face Elliot and LIzzy. "You two. I hate to say this but… Go find Marian, see what else she knows about Raven. As much as we hate each other, we need her help. Regretably."

"Roger that!" Lizzy exclaimed, putting on a salute and standing up. Elliot followed suit.

Mia turned back to Katy who had wiped all the tears and once again had a look of confidence on her face; the one Mia knew so well after all these years. "Well Katy, best friends till the end right? This is what Sara would do if she was in our position. So, now it's time to support her in full public mode. Katy… Will you join me?"

Katy smiled and clasped Mia on the shoulder. "Let's do this," she spoke confidently.

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Raven looked onward at the Redemption in the marina from her hidden position as one by one, the people in the boat left and went back toward land. She didn't know if Mia or Katy would give in to her demands, but she had a secondary option. A backup plan in case Mia and Katy decided to go public, destroying her "Plan A".

Seeing that the coast was clear she sprinted up to the Redemption and climbed up to the deck. She grabbed a small electronic device out of her pocket. It was a listening device, and she placed it directly into place above the door to the main cabin, completely out of sight. This was her true way of finding out the secret if her first plan failed. _If I cannot get them to admit the secret to becoming a mermaid directly. I need to get them to speak about the secret on this ship. And once that happens, I will have what I want._

 **And now the plot thickens! I had to give you this chapter to get you excited. I'm still writing ahead and am currently writing Chapter 61. Also, Part 2 is almost over. I'm so excited to show you what I have planned. I'm really happy how the writing is going. Now, I just need to come up with a name for Part 3. I'll continue working! Send a review what you think though! And, what will Raven do to… Stay tuned!**


	58. Chapter 57: Out of the Blue

**Guess who's back! I've still been working hard to get more content written. I know it's going slowly but bear with me. Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 57: Out of the Blue**

Farley reached his hand out, cold gun outstretched within his fingers. He pulled the trigger. He watched angrily as the chest of the scientist he pointed it at exploded in a splash of red blood. The scientist reached out silently, and then he collapsed to the ground. Farley raced over to the metal chair where they were holding Sara, still in mermaid form. "You came…" she whispered weakly, trying her best to sound upbeat.

"I will follow you to the ends of the earth," Farley spoke passionately before leaning down and kissing her directly on the lips, lingering it for a few moments.

"CUT!" Director Tokugawa yelled, jerking everyone to alertness. Farley and Sara broke the kiss even though they didn't want it to end. They smiled at each other warmly.

"Nice job!" Farley exclaimed. "You're doing pretty good stuff with this acting thing."

"Hey now, you're doing pretty good as well big guy," Sara teased.

They looked over to the right as Jackson slowly pushed his way up from the floor, fake blood splashed across his chest. "You both did good from what I think. I hope Tokugawa thinks it's good enough though. Hard to do this without ruining so many lab coats," he added.

"Well done you all!" Director Tokugawa proclaimed. "That's a wrap for now. Everyone take fifteen and we'll come back and see if there's anything more that needs to be done."

Farley helped Sara undo the straps holding her to the metal chair as an aid gave her a towel to dry herself off. Soon, she was back in her legs and she jumped onto the floor. The both of them walked hand in hand back to where Denman, Laura, Zane, and a surprise addition of Anna were waiting for them. They all had cheeky grins on their faces. "Well done you two. Again," Zane congratulated. "Pretty soon you'll be getting movie roles with all the acting experience. This just keeps getting better and better for all of us!"

Sara just rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah I get it. This was only a means to an end. Although I kinda do like acting."

"And why not! You get to do every person's dream," Laura added. "You get to be an actress. My ten year old self would be so jealous with you right now."

"Glad I could make ten year old Laura happy," Sara teased. She yawned unexpectedly. "I think I need some rest now."

"You don't need to ask me if you did a good job. Obviously I think so," Anna spoke up happily.

"Glad to hear it Anna. Even thoughI hardly know what I'm doing anyway," Sara spoke.

The bunch of them returned to their chairs, with Sara slamming into hers, tired from the day, but happy at what she had accomplished. She looked out all the workers bustling about. There was a sense of normality about the busy work. But, something felt off. Each of the workers looked over at her with wide eyes, and they stopped for several seconds before continuing on. Sara was used to this. Being a mermaid was a weird thing for people. But… something felt different than usual. They had a more concerned look on their faces, more serious, more inquisitive. Even so, most of them were used to Sara being there. So… why were they staring even more now? Sara had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something bad was happening but she couldn't figure out what was wrong.

It wasn't until Jackson stepped up to their group that she felt even more worried. He had a pale face on, and he seemed to be on edge. "Uh… Sara… There's something you should come see," He spoke quickly. "I don't know if you are aware of what happened, or if your friends told you… Or..."

"What's going on?" Sara questioned.

"There's a news bulletin on the TV. Come to the break room. I'm guessing all of you should see this too," he spoke quickly.

Sara looked back at the faces of all behind her. They seemed skeptical or worried. They didn't know what was going on either. "Ok… Let's go see what this is all about." Sara got up, followed by Laura, Denman, Farley, Zane, and Anna trailing last. "It's probably nothing that bad."

"I don't know Sara…" Farley trailed off. "Something is definitely going on. And he mentions our friends… Did something happen with Mia and Katy?"

"I don't know…" Sara trailed off. She didn't have a clue, and the worries got bigger.

She followed Jackson to the break room with a giant TV, and a large number of people crowded around it. They all turned at Sara's entrance and gasped. Many people scooted out of the way, leaving an open lane for Sara. Anxiety gripped Sara harshly. Slowly, she walked toward the TV, finally coming into focus. And, her stomach jumped into her throat.

On the television, plain as day were Mia and Katy standing next to a news anchor, determined looks on their faces. The headline shone brightly under their figures was a simple and clear "New Mermaids Revealed." Then, it showed Mia and Katy pouring water on themselves, clearly turning into mermaids, right on camera, on international news. Sara felt light headed, and almost fell backward. Farley stepped up and caught her, keeping her upright. "What have they done…" She squeaked softly. "Why did they do this… I worked so hard to keep them away from this…"

"I don't know…" Farley whispered. "It's Mia and Katy… They wouldn't have done this without a good reason. "

They both stepped back quickly, and the crowd erupted into chaos, shouting incoherent questions at Sara. Farley stepped in front of Sara, trying to protect her from the loud yelling. They both worked there way backward, trying to get through the crowd squeezing in on them. "ENOUGH!" shouted a voice above the crowd.

Everyone quieted down and turned to Ben McKay stepping through the door behind them. "I will handle this. Nothing will be solved by this incessant yelling. I will get to the bottom of this," Ben stated confidently before turning to the group. "All of you. My office. Now." With no other option, they all turned and followed Ben to his office.

Once safely inside, they all took seats inside, except for Zane and Denman who elected to stand behind Farley and Sara. Ben sat at his desk, trying to figure out what to say. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Sara… You didn't tell me your friends were mermaids as well…" He spoke softly. "I thought we had a system of trust."

"I'm sorry Ben. I couldn't do it. They wanted their privacy and I had to respect that. Especially since we weren't sure at the time whether the public as a whole would accept me. In fact, I'm still not sure on that," Sara explained. "I never meant to mislead you."

Suddenly Mia's voice appeared in her head. _Sara… You probably saw what has happened; what we've done. You might be angry with me and Katy. And we don't blame you. We can explain. Please allow us that. If you can get into your tail that would be great so we can talk about… what has happened. I'm sorry you had to find out this way but we had no other choice._

Sara breathed in and out, emotions rocking her as Mia severed the contact between. "Are you alright?" Ben asked, noticing Sara's sudden behavior.

"Yeah… I think I'm ok," Sara spoke, steadying herself. Farley rubbed her back. She noticed a bottle of water on Ben's desk. "Can I have some water?"

"Sure," Ben spoke, handing the bottle to her. "Have some if you need but…" Ben stopped as Sara unscrewed the cap and dumped some water on her leg. "What are you doing?"

"Something important," Sara spoke as her tail appeared. She closed her eyes, ready to communicate with Mia and Katy.

"What is she doing?" Ben questioned as Sara laid there in her tail with her eyes closed.

Farley spoke up. "I guess there's no point for secrecy now. You're basically a part of this. She's communicating with her friends. They gained the ability somehow to use telepathy to talk to each other while in mermaid form. I can do it too, but only with Sara."

"Why haven't I known about this?" Ben questioned.

Zane stepped up. "This mermaid stuff is on a need to know basis. So we have to be careful who we can trust. There are so many things up in the air that we have to be careful at the moment."

"You can trust me," Ben spoke.

"Even so," Farley spoke, "This mermaid stuff need to be kept very out of the public knowledge… Nothing said in here must leave this room… There's another really good reason for that…" Farley turned and nodded at Anna, trying to nonverbally communicate with her and encourage her to do what she needed to do. What she should do..

"I don't know…" She whispered. "Now? I can't… Especially with what happened with David…"

"You need to," Farley spoke reluctantly. "He deserves to know about you. Like I said, he's a part of this now."

Ben frowned. "Anna? Farley? What's going on? What are you talking about?"

Anna sighed. She nervously grabbed the bottle of water on the ground where Sara had placed it. Using the last of her courage, she poured an amount of water on her leg. "This is why you need to keep these secrets Dad…"

Ben watched in shock as his lovely daughter transformed into a mermaid in front of his very eyes. "Anna…" he choked out.

Meanwhile, Sara was oblivious to this all as she was in deep conversation with Mia and Katy. _So can I ask what the fuck is going on?_ Sara questioned to the both of them angrily the moment her tail appeared. _I worked so hard to make sure you guys weren't revealed… And then you go and do it yourselves just out of the blue?_

 _Sara… we have a big problem… And this is the best way we could solve it,_ Katy explained.

 _What problem is it?_ Sara questioned further.

 _Remember that girl Raven that revealed Farley? Well… Somehow she found out that Katy and I were mermaids._ Mia interjected. _She was trying to blackmail us. She was going to reveal us to the world herself… unless we gave up the secret to becoming a mermaid…_

Sara was silent for several seconds. _I understand now… I don't like it. But I understand. You had to reveal yourselves so she couldn't blackmail you. I have a really bad feeling though. Judging by how she was willing to take down both Farley and you two, she's not gonna give up so easily… But where do we go from here? The shit has hit the fan and I feel as though we cannot control the fallout this time._

 _Trust us Sara. We can do this!_ Katy affirmed.

 _Ah shit… Look, we gotta go._ Mia interrupted. _We have to give interviews now. This is the best way we can do this. Sara. We love you. Stay strong._

 _But wait why-_ Sara started, but the other two had already severed the connection. _God damn it! What the fuck is actually going on?_

Sara opened her eyes to chaos. Anna sat there in her chair, tail on full display. Ben kept asking a billion questions, with Farley trying to comfort her. Zane and Denman were loudly bickering behind them at how they were going to have to deal with two more publcic mermaids to handle and how they could deal with the fallout this time. "QUIET!" Sara shouted to the room. Everyone stopped and turned to her, deathly silence following it. "I go away for a couple minutes and everyone has gone berserk! Anna, why did you reveal to your father now? What made you want to do that?"

"I don't know… I want him to be on our side.. And now that more mermaids are revealed… I felt like this was the best time to make sure he understands what's going on," Anna spoke timidly.

"He needed to know," Farley affirmed. "The shit has hit the fan and we need all the allies we can get right now. This is the best way to keep Ben on our side, by showing that his daughter is one of of us."

Sara massaged her temples, the stress starting to seep in. She turned to Ben, who was still staring at his daughter's tail with giant eyes. "Ben, I know you may have a lot of questions right now. But right now we must work together. Now that you know your daughter is a mermaid, you realize that this whole thing is so much bigger than anyone thinks," Sara explained.

"Anna… how…" he squeaked out.

"It's a long story…" Anna trailed off, tears filling her eyes. "But I'm still me. I'm still the daughter you loved and adopted."

"How long…" Ben trailed off.

"About three weeks," Farley spoke up when Anna couldn't get the words out. "We got our tails the same night, thousands of miles apart. The same thing affected us both, which affected Sara and her friends."

"We can't go into all of the secrets right now," Sara spoke. "But in case this goes south, we need you on our side Ben. For our sakes, and your daughter's sake. Will you help us?"

Ben McKay stood up, adjusting his tie. He stared out over the six of the others in his office, each determined in their own right. He looked down at Anna, who's tail had dried and returned to human form. "Well Anna, several years ago I made a promise. When Sam was lying in her hospital bed, soon to.. Pass.. I made her a promise. I would always keep and protect you, at whatever cost. I made a promise to you the moment I adopted you that I would never fail to love you," He proclaimed, his voice slightly cracking because of the emotion. Ben turned to Sara. "On my honor, for my daughter, I will do everything in my power to help you all in whatever you need."

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"Welcome to Australia tonight! I'm James Joyce." It came over the speakers, jolting Mia to alertness. It had been a tiring day. After she and Katy revealed themselves as mermaids, they were whisked away to ABN to do an exclusive interview on Australia Tonight, just as Sara had a few weeks earlier. This was their chance to remind everyone how human they were, how cool they were, and how much it meant to be accepted by everyone. They stood backstage, watching James and Ruth continue monologuing about everything that had happened with their "mermaid story." Blake and Mitch stood behind their girlfriends, stoic and unwavering. Mitch however, was very anxious. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he needed to be there to support Katy, but he still hated the spotlight.

"The mermaid clan will get two more mermaids," Ruth announced. "Sara Meyer risked herself for her friends. Now, with that groundwork laid, they can now show who they truly are. They were all transformed together, and they are all sisters in their secret, which they have decided not to keep it secret anymore."

"That's right, so if you all can put your hands together for two new mermaids who can now come out into the public eye. Welcome to the stage, Mia Hobbs and Katy Arlington." James spoke to the crowd.

"This is it..." Katy spoke.

"For better or for worse, we must join Sara in her public life. This is the life we lead for ourselves," Mia responded.

They both stepped forward into the blinding light. Mia and Katy heard the roar of the crowd in front of them, but they could not see beyond the end of the stage. But, they waved strongly to the crowd, bright smiles on their faces. They stepped up to the hosts on stage, James and Ruth, shaking their hands. They sat on the couch across from the hosts, trying their best to stay poised, their nerve strengthening with every second.

"It's good to meet you both," Ruth spoke. "I know it must've been difficult for all of you after Sara's reveal."

"Thank you Ruth," Mia spoke up, annunciating and remaining calm for the Television audience. "We wanted to support Sara as best as we could… But, there wasn't much we could do without risking ourselves as well."

"We could only sit back and help her deal with all that she was going for, waiting and hoping for her to receive the acceptance she desperately needed," Katy added.

"It certainly has gone well don't you think?" James asked. "I mean you-"

"Eat shit mermaids!" Screamed a voice from the crowd.

Everyone turned to a short balding man in his late 30s rush the stage, large cup of water in his hands. Before Katy and Mia could react, the man thrust the cup forward, soaking them with cold water. Katy and Mia gasped and jumped back. Security swarmed him and handcuffed the man, shouting obscenities at Mia and Katy while he was being tackled.

As security began to pull him away, he looked up at Mia and Katy, hate in his eyes as they transformed into mermaids on the couch. "Look at them!" He shouted. "Do they look human to you? They are monsters! Freaks! They don't deserve anything from us!" Everyone looked on in shock as the man was pulled out of the room, leaving the stage in deathly silence as the audience turned their shock onto Mia and Katy, still in mermaid form.

"That was certainly unexpected," Mia quipped sarcastically, yet nervously, trying to cut through the awkwardness. She felt exposed in her tail on national television.

"I bet your ratings are going up after that," Katy joked as well, pushing herself up into a more comfortable position, her long tail in an increasingly awkward spot. "Bet that doesn't happen very often. And, the audience gets to see us as mermaids. Not bad huh."

"I-I'm so sorry," James stammered. "We'll make sure to increase security so that doesn't happen again."

"For all those that saw what happened…" Mia began. "This is why Sara and now the two of us are fighting. That mentality is why we are pushing so hard to be loved and accepted. Bigotry can manifest itself in many ways, and we want to be able to stop it."

Ruth stepped up and knelt to Katy and Mia. "Do you mind if I touch your tail? I'm wondering what it actually feels like?" Ruth asked sincerely.

"Sure. I don't mind," Katy spoke.

Ruth reached out and ran a hand down the length of Katy's tail. "It's slightly rough and a bit slimy… This is really cool!" She exclaimed. She got up and returned to her seat.

"So you see…" Mia added. "We understand that we're different than most people… We get that. Differences make people scared, like that man we saw tonight. But, we want to show the world who we are and how human we are, just like Sara fought before us."

"It must be difficult," James spoke.

"Yes… But… There was something poignant Sara said when she was first revealed… In those first scary moments, she was discussing with her managers what her next moves were. During that, she was asked if she was ready to deal with whatever the world threw at her. In response she said 'It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. This needs to happen. I need to show the world what I am and show them the best of me. So, I'm going to do it no matter what.' That stuck with me," Katy explained.

"But we are here to show the world we are amazing," Mia added confidently. "And that's exactly what we plan on doing."


	59. Chapter 58: Enemy of my Enemy

**Ok… So I will admit… This is one of my shorter chapters. I understand that. I tried writing more, but I couldn't. At least for this chapter. However, it does set up a lot going forward. So trust me, it's gonna get good. Also, more good news, I've broken out of my writer's block and am writing a lot more as I'm finishing up the last few chapters of Part 2. Stay tuned!**

 **Chapter 58: Enemy of my Enemy**

Raven watched the ending to Mia and Katy's interview on Australia Tonight. The rage had built up inside of her. They had outsmarted her. The only piece of blackmail she had against Mia and Katy had been sucked out of her grasp. The two of them had revealed themselves on international news, and the last part of Raven's "perfect" plan fell apart. Now, she was once again at square one. Raven's grip tightened around the remote control in her hand. The only other lead she had was the bug she placed on the research boat they had borrowed from Dr. Denman. But that hadn't lead to anything yet.

"Once again, I want to thank Mia Hobbs and Katy Arlington for being with us today. Two mermaids who want to show the world how great they are. I'm James Joyce, signing off from Australia Tonight. Until next time!" The voice came from the TV. Raven's anger increased once again. _How fucking dare they take this away from me!_ She angrily chucked the remote at the wall, and it broke open, denting the drywall in the process. Raven seethed furiously. Calming herself, she opened her laptop, scouring the pages until she found what she was looking for; her bank account. She had purged her savings to pay for the trip to Australia, and now those funds were dwindling incredibly low. She needed to take action very soon or she would be forced to leave Australia in disgrace and failure. _Perhaps I haven't been as clear with them. Now to do something bold and take what I deserve!_

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 _A few hours earlier..._

"Ok this is the house right?" Lizzy questioned to Elliot. The two had tracked down their target, just as Mia and Katy had asked them to. They were going to be on Australia Tonight that night, so Lizzy and Elliot had to work behind the scenes to find out more information about Raven and what she was planning. "Mia and Katy are counting on us to find out more."

"This is the address they gave us," Elliot spoke. "It's the best we have to go on. And, I know they're counting on us. Everyone is. This Raven girl could shake up the entire mermaid world, and we have to do our best to make sure that doesn't happen. My sister is a part of this as well. I'm going to do everything I can to stop her." They were standing outside an immaculate house, close to the ocean, a three stall garage door . It was decently close to Sara's house, only being a few streets away. They walked up to the olive green door, knocking quickly.

"Do you think we'll get anything out of her?" Lizzy asked quickly.

Elliot shrugged. "I don't know… But hopefully we get something useful. If Raven's planning retaliation of some kind, and probably she is… We need to be ready."

It was immediate then when the door opened, revealing the small frame of Marian staring back at the two of them. "Oh… You two were there with Mia when I stopped by your boat…." She spoke, a bit confused. "What do you want?"

"We made a mistake Marian," Lizzy spoke. "Well… technically Mia made the mistake shutting you out. But we realized something…"

"Oh yeah… what's that? Mia and Katy already revealed themselves so Raven's threats won't mean anything," Marian yawned. "I don't know what you want from me anymore. Seems like you solved all your problems. I warned you about Raven, and you fixed it. Problem solved."

"Well, no. We don't think so anyway. But, you were right," Elliot spoke. "She did come after us. She came after Katy and purposefully threatened her and blackmailed her. That's why Mia and Katy revealed themselves. It was the only way to beat her without giving up the secret to become a mermaid, which is what we think she wants mostly now."

"So… there is a way to become a mermaid," Marian stated. "I should've figured… Well, more than what Sara and Farley, and even Mia and Katy now have said. In either case, what do you need me for?"

"We want you to join our team; help us against Raven," Lizzy stated.

Marian crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. "I seem to recall Mia shutting me out… So, I'm not sure how much you want me to join your little mermaid club… Also it's about how much they hate me for revealing Sara. I doubt Mia wanted you to come here to talk to me. And what makes you sure I want to join your team?"

"She was actually the one who told us to come here," Elliot stated firmly. "We need you Marian, and believe me, it really pained Mia to say that. You've had more contact with Raven than any of us… And I know Raven will strike back hard against us. We don't know where, and we don't know when. And besides, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We need allies."

Marian rolled her eyes. "Alright fine, come on in. I'll tell you everything I know about her, which honestly isn't much."

Elliot and Lizzy followed her into the house, and they all sat opposite of either in Marian's expansive living room. Elliot sunk into the leather sofa, feeling how comfortable and expensive it felt. "How did you meet Raven?" Elliot asked when they were all situated.

Marian rubbed her temples. "This is slightly embarrassing but screw it. I don't care," Marian spoke. "Aaron, my ex-boyfriend, had just abandoned me to sell his video of Sara's reveal and cut me out of it."

"Why did you reveal Sara?" Lizzy questioned.

Marian sighed. "Katy took away my boyfriend Mitch, and I never liked Sara. So, I wanted to get back at them. And I did what I did. Besides, I know you're just gonna judge me for it. I don't care, I just want to stop Raven." 

"Ok, back to it, what do you know about Raven?" Elliot asked.

"She wants to become a mermaid like you said," Marian spoke. "That's her endgame. Honestly from what it sounds like, she was angry from being banned from everything due to Farley's reveal. And now she's out for something she believes won't be taken from her. From what she told me, she's willing to do anything. And… I may have had a part in it."

"What did you do this time?" Elliot questioned.

"I may have tipped Raven off about Mia and Katy being good friends of Sara…" Marian trailed off, unsure how to continue. "Granted she could've gotten that herself from asking literally anyone at our school… But still, when I found out she was going after her even after telling me off before, I felt enough guilt to at least warn you. And then I saw you on your boat, and then, well, you know the rest of the story."

"Ok… Well, we still don't know what her next move will be," Lizzy stated. "Ugh… At this very moment she might be plotting against us."

"We have to stick together though," Elliot added, putting his hand on Lizzy's shoulder. "We'll take her down yet."

Marian groaned. "Let me put it this way. I will try and help you take down Raven. But after that, I'm done. I want nothing to do with your mermaid group anymore.

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Elliot backed the Redemption out of the pier it was docked at. More confidently that he had been before, he maneuvered the vessel down the lane and toward the open ocean. He had done this several times since Denman loaned him the Redemption, and he become increasingly adept at steering the research boat. The controls felt right at his fingertips, and he moved it with ease. And soon, the Redemption was pointed toward Mako Island. Lizzy stepped up next to him, surveying the ocean ahead of them; his de facto first mate.

"I just realized something," Lizzy spoke randomly as they sped along the waves.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Elliot teased. "That everything in life is a simulation like the Matrix?"

Lizzy chuckled. "Funny. But anyway, in all your knowledge of mermaids, what would you say is the most important night of the month for mermaids? A little test for you."

"Ugh. You could've just said what it is… but fine I'll play along to your thing," Elliot answered sarcastically. "But obviously, from what I've been told, it's the night of the full moon."

"Precisely! You can become a mermaid, the full moon makes mermaids go crazy, and overall it is completely and deeply connected to them," Lizzy explained. "And the full moon is in a couple days."

"Shit!" Elliot exclaimed. "You're right! Wait... If we can keep Raven at bay until after it passes, she'll have to wait another month before she'll get another chance at becoming a mermaid! She knows nothing about Mako Island either, so there's so much she would have to learn in two days."

"Exactly!" Lizzy exclaimed. "And who knows, by then her money would run out, she's going to lose interest, or anything like that. She may give up the fight completely and go back to the US."

"I don't know how we're going to do that. But we just have to hold out a couple more days. That's it," Elliot. "Perfect."

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Raven took her headphones out of her ears and smiled. She had heard everything. That idiot Elliot and his ditzy girlfriend had given her all the information she needed. Mako Island on a full moon. That was the key to becoming a mermaid. Raven ran to her computer and searched about the full moon. A smirk slid across her face as she saw that the Full moon would be beginning in a couple days. This was her chance. This is what she needed to do. This would be her final straw to become a mermaid and become what she wanted to be.


	60. Chapter 59: Total Failure

**Chapter 59: Total Failure**

Sara was relaxing on the set of the music video once again. Her scenes were completely done filming. She was beginning to feel relieved. Everything she was doing was to make sure all mermaids were accepted. The story of the music video was to show her humanity, and by extension all other mermaids, both revealed and not revealed. That was the whole point of this crusade. She shifted the weight in her chair, watching workers go about their jobs, trying to get all of the of last pieces together before the ending of the filming cycle. Zane sat next to her, rubbing his eyes. He had done very little actual work over the past few weeks of filming, and was bored of the time. Yet still, he was glad it was over. "So, since we're mostly done here, what do you think of your little stint into acting?" Zane asked to Sara. "On a scale of 1-10."

Sara shrugged. "I had fun. I'd give it like a 6.5 I think. Granted I had nothing to compare it to. But, I did like it. I doubt I could do it for my entire career like some actresses but the sentiment was nice."

"Well, as your manager I will make sure you rarely have to do acting gigs," Zane teased. "But, in all seriousness, after this I think we can all relax for some time. You've done so good. I'm proud of you all. Even Mia and Katy like we saw on the Tele. My cousin is doing good for herself. People are starting to get used to mermaids existing without too much issue. At least… I hope."

"Thank you Zane. You work tirelessly for me, and I appreciate it," Sara spoke. "I know you're doing it for Mia and Rikki most importantly, but even so you've helped me a lot."

"Well I-"

"Zane? Being helpful? That's a first," teased a familiar voice coming from somewhere behind them. Sara and Zane whipped around to see an indignant yet excited Rikki Chadwick standing slightly toward the back wall, smirking at the two of them, hands on her hips.

Zane's eyes went wide in shock and awe as he stared at his girlfriend for the first time in several months. "I… I…" he sputtered, unable to get words out.

"First thing you can say is thank you," Sara joked.

Zane turned to Sara. "You did this?" he questioned.

Sara shrugged. "I do what I can. I pulled in a favor from Ben McKay. Turns out mentoring his daughter on her abilities has its perks," she answered. "He was able to get Rikki a guest pass into the studio without much of a fuss."

Zane turned back to Rikki and stood up. "It's so good to see you," he spoke as Rikki approached, mere feet from Zane. "It's been a so long... I've missed you. Dearly."

Rikki chuckled. "Aww… look at you being so soft and sappy," She teased. "I never knew you for the romantic type.

Zane smiled broadly, a type of joy that Sara rarely saw from Zane. "Now that's the snarky Rikki I know and love," he spoke warmly before stepping forward and embracing Rikki, kissing her softly on the lips. Sara smiled at the two love birds finally seeing each other after many months apart.

They broke apart and smiled at each other. "What brought you to Los Angeles?" Zane asked. "Besides seeing me of course."

Rikki stepped back a second. "Actually, it's something a bit more serious," She spoke. Zane raised an eyebrow. "Sara told us about… the others like us. Well, we're here to mentor them about what we know. We have been doing this thing for several years now after all. Heck, Bella's been doing this since she was seven. Anyway, it's also the perfect time to do it… seeing that it is the day of the full moon after all."

Anxiety ripped through Sara. She had not thought about the full moon in a while. Every single time it happened, something went terribly wrong. Last full moon a month prior, she had turned Farley into a merman. She was not looking forward to it this time. Then… you had to add in Anna, Fallon, and Luisa who had never even experienced a full moon before. Even Zane had a worried look on his face. "I completely forgot that was today…" Sara trailed off. "Oh… I hope Mia and Katy are doing fine without me…"

"I'm sure they're doing ok," Zane reassured her. "I know Mia. They'll get along just fine. The full moon might be over Australia right now…."

"There's that possibility, but-" Sara's sentence was interrupted by a ripping telepathic connection from Mia and Katy, seemingly out of nowhere. It was jarring and barely coherent. Sara's head felt like it was splitting open with the emotion coming from the connection.

 _Sara…. We have something to say…_ Mia spoke solemnly. _Something has happened here… and… I don't know how to tell you._

 _We don't know if you can communicate back now._ Katy added. _But… know this. Everything has changed. And it just got a lot worse._

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 _Several Hours Earlier…._

Lizzy hopped along the coast. It was getting toward the evening, with the sun moving it's way toward the horizon. She had gotten a message from Elliot, telling her to meet him along the coast toward a more abandoned set of docks, located somewhat away from more populated areas on a smaller canal. It felt a bit strange, but Lizzy paid it no mind. He usually just texted her, but for some reason, he had messaged her on Facebook. Lizzy merely shrugged it off. It was Elliot's own special way after all. She smiled quickly when she thought about him, but she shook it off and continued on her way toward her destination.

She had to hurry back soon though. It was the day of the full moon, and from what she learned from Mia and Katy, she wanted to make sure she could support in case they became "Moonstruck." Whatever that meant. She was gonna support them no matter what though. Anything for them and Sara; the ones that gave her a chance.

Lizzy came out of the trees into a clearing, overlooking the docks. Not a soul was in sight however, and Lizzy became slightly nervous. She didn't see Elliot anywhere. _It's fine…. I'm fine… Elliot wouldn't have sent me here unless he had a reason._ Now reassured, Lizzy scuttled down in between the abandoned buildings. Something had a creepy vibe to it, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She stood for a moment, scratching her chin. Elliot had to be here somewhere…

Something yanked Lizzy backward. She tried to fight, but she was caught completely off balance. Before she could scream, a cloth of some kind with a strange smelling liquid covered her mouth. Lizzy felt her mind fade and soon, there was only darkness. In the last moment before her mind went black, she saw a tuft of black hair slide past in her peripheral vision.

Her mind drifted for what it seemed like hours…

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Lizzy awoke with a start on her back. The smell of seawater was everywhere around her. She felt the cool metal against her back. She was in a small boat… somewhere. At least that's what she thought. Lizzy tried to move her hands and legs, but they were bound with a heavy length of rope. She tried to speak, but a band of duct tape covered her mouth. Lizzy twisted and turned, wanting to scream, but nothing could come out. "You'll want to save your energy," Spoke a voice above her. Lizzy sat up slightly to see the form of Raven above her. Lizzy frowned angrily when she saw her. "We're in the middle of the ocean. No one will be able to hear you scream. Just wanted to let you know before I take the duct tape off your mouth. It'll save your energy from screaming, and I won't be as annoyed."

Raven reached down and ripped the duct tape off Lizzy's mouth, and she grunted at the sudden pain of the tape being torn off. "Why are you doing this?" Lizzy cried somewhere between anger and sadness.

"I'm going to become a mermaid," Raven spoke flatly. "And I know that you know how to become one."

Lizzy chuckled nervously. "T-that's impossible. I don't know anything about that. Besides it just happens randomly in the middle of the ocean. It's impossible to predict," She rambled, trying to play it off.

Raven looked angrily at Lizzy. "Don't play ignorant with me bitch," She vented, slapping LIzzy on the face. "I know you know about. Mako Island on a full moon right? That's the secret?" Lizzy suddenly had a shocked look on her face. Raven just smirked. "So that is right huh? I was correct to put a listening device in the boat of your incessant boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Lizzy spoke defiantly. "Not yet at least… And you bugged the Redemption!"

"Of course I did," Raven sneered. "I figured I would need a back-up plan if Mia and Katy went public to undercut my blackmail. And, well, that's exactly what happened."

"But why are you doing this?"

"You already know," Raven responded before turning her attention back to the ocean. "You will tell me how to become a mermaid. You will show me where to go, what to do. And in the end, after I become a mermaid, I will let you go."

"Piss off," Lizzy spat, trying to seem rebellious.

Raven chuckled. "Consider your choices. We've got about ten minutes before we arrive at Mako Island. Plenty of time to decide whether you want to help me and live. Because if you don't, and I don't become a mermaid tonight, I will tie you to a tree on Mako and leave you to starve in the lonliest way on a deserted island. So, it is your choice Elizabeth, or whatever your name is."

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Elliot knocked quickly on Marian's door. It was the day of the full moon, and he wanted to follow up on any leads she had about Raven's plans or movements. It was a long shot, but Marian was the closest one he knew to Raven. He had tried to contact Lizzy that day, but he hadn't heard from her in a while. They were running out of time before the moon came up, so Elliot went alone to Marian's house searching for answers. He knew that Mia and Katy would be furious if they knew he was seeing Marian again for answers. Mia in particular was too proud to let Marian give them anything beyond the very basic.

Marian answered the door and raised an eyebrow at Elliot's appearance. "Elliot? What are you doing here?" She questioned, crossing her arms frustratingly.

"Marian, we made need your help," Elliot spoke quickly. "Do you have any other information on Raven? Have you contacted her at all? We believe she may be making a move tonight of some kind. But we have no idea what to suspect."

Marian sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I've got nothing. I wish I could give you something, but I have not talked to her in a while. It seems like she's gone rogue. My guess is with Mia and Katy going public and ruining her last chance, she may be a lot more desperate and unpredictable. That's all I've got."

Elliot groaned, rubbing his temples. "Ok. Damn it. We've got nothing to go on and Lizzy has disappeared on me. We need everyone on deck tonight."

Marian furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry I can't help! I hate Raven and want to see her fail as much as you do. Wait… what's so special about tonight?"

Elliot froze. He couldn't reveal the info to Marian. Mia and Katy would kill him. They still hated Marian after all this time, even though they needed her for info on Raven. "I can't… tell you that."

"Right. After helping you on Raven and everything? I still don't get anything?" Marian crossed her fingers. "You all are just using me then tossing me to the side, just as Raven did. That's why I'm done with the mermaid bullshit"

"Mia and Katy still don't trust you after what you had done. It's out of my hands Marian. I wish I could clue you in but… I don't know."

Marian sighed. "I guess that's fair. But after tonight, I want to be done with everything here. No more Raven, no more you. No more Mia, Katy, or Sara. And most importantly no mermaids. I'm done. Make sure they know that. I don't like you all. I want to be DONE."

Elliot nodded. "I understand. Thank you though."

Elliot pulled his phone out. The moon was going to come up any minute now. He opened his phone to check on the status of his texts to Lizzy. Still no response. He looked at Facebook. There was a small notification symbol by it. He curiously opened the message app to see a conversation with Lizzy. A shock ran through him. A simple message from him sent "Meet me by the docks near the abandoned canal. We need to talk :)" The reply from Lizzy was there too, saying she would be there soon. He didn't send the message. But who did? Who… Did somebody hack his account? But who would do... _Raven…_

"Shit…" Elliot spoke.

"What's wrong?" Marian questioned.

"I think I know Raven's play! I think she kidnapped Lizzy to force her to reveal the secret to becoming a mermaid!" Elliot cried, the emotion of Lizzy's kidnapping getting to him.

"She knows that?"

"Well… yes… It's complicated. Anyway, we gotta go after them!"

"We?"

"Yes!" Elliot agreed forcefully. "Doesn't matter now. If Lizzy is kidnapped we need everyone we can to get her back. You need to be my backup. Come on, we gotta get to my boat! You said after tonight you want to be done with mermaids. But, can you help me… just this one last time?"

"Fine. That's it. Nothing more," Marian spoke indifferently. "Let's get this over with."

The two of them took off toward the marina where the Redemption was parked still. Elliot had his mind focused. He needed to be ready to take whatever action necessary to save Lizzy. He wanted her. He would do anything for her. In a second, he whipped out his phone mid-jog, dialing Mia's phone. He knew that she and Katy would be hunkered down for the full moon, but they needed to know the situation. Mia picked up immediately "Hey Elliot, when are you and Lizzy getting here? We need to get ready for the full moon. It's starting right now."

"Mia! We got a situation here! I think that Raven has kidnapped Lizzy and forcing her to take her to Mako Island to become a mermaid. I'm in pursuit right now. Stay put though, we can't risk you and Katy being moonstruck," Elliot blurted.

"Elliot, what is going on? Are you sure?" Mia questioned.

"Decently sure. I'm headed to the Redemption now. I'm going to take this bitch down," Elliot spoke, and the call ended.

"So, the mermaid thing does have something to do with Mako Island," Marian stated when Elliot put his phone in his pocket.

"You say that so matter-of-factly," Elliot noted.

"Mia, Katy, and Sara had mentioned Mako Island several times before. I never thought anything about it. But now… it makes so much more sense," Marian realized.

"Regardless, we're going there now," Elliot spoke quickly. "I know you want to be done. I know you dislike Mia, Katy, and Sara... But, we need your help now to stop Raven."

Marian nodded. "Ok. Fine. Let's take this bitch down." She spoke simply. And, the two of them sprinted off toward the Redemption.

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Lizzy spun right and left as the waves close to Mako Island bobbed the small boat she was captive in up and down. She was beginning to feel sick, but luckily they had arrived. Raven leapt out of the vessel into the meter deep waters. They had arrived at the island as the moon was beginning to rise, just as Raven had planned it. She pulled the boat ashore, and Lizzy gritted her teeth as her head was slammed into the side panel once. She winced, but endured the pain.

When the boat was safely on shore and away from the tide, Raven returned to peer into the boat, sneering down at Lizzy. "Well, we have arrived. Have you decided to help me, or face starvation and thirst?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"Since I want to live, I guess I can show you what to do," Lizzy spat back.

"Excellent choice!" Raven reached down and pulled Lizzy out of the boat, tossing her onto the sand. Lizzy turned her head to avoid getting a faceful of sand. She still couldn't move, as her legs and arms were still bound. Raven reached down with another length of rope, attaching it to Lizzy's tied up wrists, almost like a leash. "This is to make sure you don't decide to run off on me," Raven spoke. "Granted if you did you would be in bad shape as your hands will still be tied and you're on a deserted island." Raven reached down and untied Lizzy's legs, and then she yanked Lizzy to her unsteady legs, barely keeping her balance.

Raven faced Lizzy. "Ok young Lizzy, where to next?" Raven degraded. Lizzy responded by spitting in Raven's face. Raven blinked for a second in shock, before reaching her hand out and slapping Lizzy hard in the face. It stung hard, but Lizzy steeled her tears. "I love your defiance. But it's not helping your cause."

"Resorting to violence and kidnapping now?" Lizzy spoke through gritted teeth, "You're lowly scum."

"Maybe," Raven chuckled. "Doesn't matter though. I will get what I want. Now move or the slap will become something worse."

Lizzy began walking forward through the dense jungle. She watched her footing carefully, hoping not to trip and fall in the worst way, with no hands to catch her fall. She remembered the route succinctly to the moon pool. She knew she had to hurry though. Raven was considerably unpredictable. And, once the moon passed over the pool, the chance would be over for Raven to become a mermaid. If that happened…. Lizzy didn't want to know what Raven would do to her. Lizzy's courage was completely erased, and only the innate fear remained.

Soon, they came upon the stream running through the island. Traveling up the slick stone steps got someone to the tunnel to the moon pool above them. Lizzy stopped at the river, looking nervously above her at the slightly treacherous climb. "What is it? Why have we stopped?" Raven questioned.

"We need to go up there," Lizzy answered, motioning her head up the rapids toward the two rock faces jutting out above them. "And unless you want me to fall on the slick steps, I need my hands free to balance myself on the climb up."

"Well it aint gonna happen," Raven snapped. She reached up and grabbed complete hold of Lizzy's arm. "I will balance you. Now, get up there."

Lizzy gulped and took a step up the slope. It was slow going for several minutes as Lizzy inched her way up to the rock formation, Raven's breath heavy in her ear. Soon, they had reached the top of the ledge, staring out over the empty space. "Ok Lizzy. We're up here. Where to now?" Raven asked.

Lizzy sighed, nodding toward the small tunnel out of the way, almost unnoticed. "We need to go down there." She spoke sadly.

"Why down there?" Raven asked.

"Do you think I know exactly why?" Lizzy broke. "But, it is what we need. It's the way to go." Raven shrugged, walking over to the tunnel and peering down. "We'll have to slide down. Let me slide down feet first. That way I won't injure my head falling down. If that happens, you're basically screwed."

"Fine," Raven spoke, walking Lizzy over to the tunnel. "But I'll be right behind you. So, don't think about running off."

"I don't really have a choice," Lizzy spoke before stepping in and sliding down the dark cave, Raven right behind her. Lizzy bounced off her feet when she hit the ground, leaning forward. Fortunately she was able to get her balance under control and steady herself before she fell into the opposite rock wall. She turned, adrenaline ripping through her, to see Raven stand up behind her and stare around at the cavern.

"So, this is the place," Raven spoke.

"No shit. But, it's actually this way," Lizzy spoke, walking toward the other chamber. She walked up the stone steps, and in front of her lay the light blue moon pool, light shining through from above. The full moon was on its way, but there was still time. They made it, much to Lizzy's relief and sadness. She may get out of this alright, but the secret was over.

"Is it the pool? Is that the secret?" Raven questioned in awe, staring out at the serene moon pool.

"Yes," Lizzy sighed. "When the full moon crosses over the volcanic crater above us, and you're in that pool… You will become a mermaid."

"How long do we have to wait?" Raven asked.

"Shouldn't be too long…"

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Mia and Katy paced back and forth in Katy's house in a panic. They received Elliot's frantic call, and now were in full blown anxiety. But, they were stuck. If they ventured out into the night, the full moon would instantly have them in their grasp. This led to their panic.

Mia was fed up. "Screw this!" She exclaimed, "I'm not gonna sit by while Raven destroys everything!"

Katy grabbed her. "Mia! We can't go out there!" She responded frantically. "The full moon would take us over! And again, think about all the journalists that could be out there, wanting to take pictures of us."

Mia sighed. "I can't do this, Katy. I can't allow Raven to win and become a mermaid. So, I'm going out there. I know I will get moonstruck… But, it's the only thing I can think of. Hopefully… since my moonstruck self likes going to Mako, that I will go there and defend the Moon Pool. It's the only way. We have to stop her at all costs."

A tear moved down Katy's cheek. "You're right. For everything we believe in, we have to do this." she agreed. Mia and Katy grabbed each others hands. They had to do this together. They walked over to the front door, ready to fling it open and face their destiny. The opened the door and faced the full moon in all its fury.

And nothing happened.

Mia and Katy looked at the moon harder, but nothing. They felt no different. They were still themselves. They had beaten the determination and fight had overcome the allure of the full moon. "We beat it!" Katy squealed quietly.

"Time to go to Mako," Mia spoke.

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Lizzy paced casually around the deck of the moon pool. They had been waiting in the cavern for five to ten minutes. That's what she thought at least. It was impossible to keep time down in the cave. Raven sat impatiently on the rock formation, twiddling her thumbs. There was nothing for them to do but wait until the moon appeared.

The two of them heard a commotion of noise coming from the other cavern. Raven jumped up and went to Lizzy, grabbing her bound hands. In a moment, Elliot and Marian appeared in front of them, spilling out into the moon pool chamber. "Elliot!" Lizzy exclaimed.

"I'm here Lizzy!" he responded in relief.

Raven began backing toward the moon pool, Lizzy firmly in her grasp. "Stay back both of you! I'm going to become a mermaid tonight, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I'm ashamed I wanted to trust you Marian. Now you're just a traitor," Raven snided.

"I want nothing to do with you," Marian affirmed. "You're a terrible person. You used me. So I'm going to help stop you."

"Stop this Raven," Elliot commanded. "It's all over."

"Not yet!" Raven exclaimed, backing up to the moon pool's edge, her heel just hovering up the water. Raven looked up into the volcanic cone above her and saw a sliver of silver as the moon just begun it's crawl across the opening. "You're too late anyway," she smirked. Pulling hard, she fell backward toward the pool, Lizzy going with her.

"No!" Elliot screamed, as he and Marian rushed to save Lizzy. They grabbed her clothes, but they were too off balance, the jolt of sudden force of the whole weight of Lizzy and Raven sent all four of them tumbling into the moon pool. Within seconds, they righted themselves and looked around. The water in the pool began to bubble and shimmer. Flickering lights moved upward toward the moon above them. Elliot turned to face Raven who still held Lizzy in a tight grip.

"Yes! This is it!" Raven exclaimed in excitement.

"What the fuck?" Screamed a voice from the entrance. Mia and Katy spilled out into the moon pool chamber, looking on with shocked faces as they saw the bubbling pool with Raven, Lizzy, Marian, and Elliot.

"You're too late!" Raven screamed in maniacal giddy, shoving the other three backwards. And, with all said and done, she was right. The moon finished it's cross over to the otherside, and the moon pool was still once again. Raven looked at the three others in the pool and then at herself. No tail. "What the fuck is this? I'm supposed to be a mermaid now!"

Elliot paid it no mind. It had been done. To all of them. The worst had come true. It was a total failure. He solemnly helped a dumbfounded Lizzy, still bound at the wrists, and a confused Marian out of the Moon Pool and onto dry land, moving to where Mia and Katy stood, mouths agape.

Mia and Katy turned to meet the three of them, their shock turning to melancholy. "This isn't fair!" Raven yelled at them. "I'm supposed to be a fucking mermaid now!"

Mia turned, an unblanking face. "You're outnumbered Raven. Leave this place immediately. You have ten seconds to get out of this cavern before we beat the piss out of you."

"But…"

"Ten! Nine!"

Raven didn't need another second, and she scurried out of the cavern and away from the group. Mia turned back to the others. Lizzy was on the verge of tears. "I-I'm so sorry…" She sputtered. "She kidnapped me and she said she was gonna kill me if I didn't... show her…"

"Shh… It's ok," Katy comforted her. "It's not your fault."

"Am… Am… Am I going to become a mermaid now?" Lizzy questioned.

Katy lowered her head. "Yes."

"All of you will get a tail," Mia spoke. "Even… Marian."

Marian leaned against the rock wall, the wave of anxiety washing over her. Now… it all became clear. "So this is how…" She began.

"Yes Marian, this is how six months ago Me, Katy, and Sara became mermaids," Mia spat. "And now, you, the original one who revealed Sara as a mermaid several weeks ago, now have become a mermaid. I'm not sure if that's karma or irony. I don't care either way. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you all will become mermaids. Merman in Elliot's case. The fallout may be severe. I don't know what Raven is planning. But, I know it's not good. The worst case scenario has come true. All of you are part of this now."

"I don't want this!" Marian complained, anger bubbling under the surface. "I wanted to be free of anything to do with mermaids, and I'm going to become one?"

"Yeah, we're not thrilled with it either," Katy replied sarcastically, uncharastically angry for her bubbly attitude.

"I don't want anything to do with this," Marian complained again. "I don't want to deal with any of you ever again."

"Whether you want this or not, you're a part of that. And that's not gonna change," Mia added. "Unfortunately. Sara's gonna hate this."

"I don't care what she thinks," Marian said, fed up. She stood and walked back toward the entrance. "I'm going outside Elliot. If you would so kindly give me a ride back to the mainland, it would be greatly appreciated," She called over her shoulder before disappearing up into the cavern.

There was a silence in the cavern. They were all still trying to comprehend what had happened. Elliot broke the quiet thoughts. "I'm getting a tail... Like sister like brother," Elliot spoke. "It's all come full circle."

"Three weeks ago, I met Sara. Now… I become a mermaid like her," Lizzy whispered. "My life is over."

Katy put a hand on her shoulder. "Your life isn't close to being over. Give me and Mia some time, and we will show you the joy of being a mermaid." Lizzy smiled at the sentiment.

"Katy," Mia spoke. "We need to contact Sara now. She needs to know. Plus, let's get out of here and get some rest. I have a bad feeling that tomorrow may be one of the worst days of our life."

Katy silently nodded and stood up. The four of them: Mia, Katy, Elliot, and Lizzy, silently crawled out of the Moon Pool cavern and into the darkness of the night. What had happened that night would affect the rest of their lives. Hopefully, it would all turn out. But for now, the future looked bleak.


	61. Chapter 60: Crumbling Down

**Well… I'm back! Sorry it took me a while. School can get really, really busy sometimes. But, I wanted to get this out to you. Even though it took me almost two months. I'm sorry for the delay. I'll get into a better rhythm this summer but as finals are basically here, I don't have as much time to write. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Chapter 60: Crumbling Down**

"So…. Hey…. It's uhh… good to meet you..." Anna spoke slowly and cautiously to the three new girls in front of her. They were all older than she, Fallon, and Luisa; at least twenty years old each. She didn't even know anything about them really, but Sara had said that she trusted them. That's why she had set up the meeting. She told them how these girls had been mermaids for several years, and they were in a much better position to instruct Anna's group in the best ways to keep their mermaid secrets,

So here they were, facing off across from each other. They decided to visit a park and sit on the grass and talk. It was the most neutral place they could think of. Fallon stood behind Anna, arms crossed. She was a lot more skeptical than Anna, more protective of the secret, which was probably a good thing. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves," The lead one spoke. She had dark brown hair and tan skin compared the the blond girls flanking her. "My name is Cleo Sertori. These are my two good friends Emma Gilbert and Bella Hartley."

"Good to meet three of you," Anna spoke cautiously. "Sara told us some of the basic information about you; mostly that you've been doing this for several years."

"I've been doing this for the longest; about fourteen years to be exact," Bella spoke up. "Emma and Cleo have had their tails for about five to six."

"That's a lot longer than Sara's six months," Fallon interjected. "We thought she was supposed to be the expert."

"That's probably why she wanted you all to meet us I'm guessing," Anna finished.

"That is what she told us in any case," Emma spoke up. "Before we get started, I just have one question. Sara mentioned there would be three of you here today. But, only two of you have shown up. Where is the other one?"

Anna chuckled. "Yeah that's Luisa. She's running late of course. She's on Colombian time, which means she shows up when she wants to. Usually that just means she's about fifteen minutes late. It happens. We can just wait for her."

"Well, are we just gonna wait and twiddle our thumbs till she gets here?" Bella joked. A few nervous chuckles went around, but both groups were still on guard. They didn't know enough about each other to get all friendly right away.

"Maybe so…" Fallon trailed off. "Anyway I wanted to ask a question first. Sara mentioned that the full moon affects us all negatively… And, since tonight is the full moon, I wanted to ask what we are going to do about that?"

"We're going to work with you all night, including with Sara, Farley, and our other friend Rikki," Cleo answered. "Mermaids need to be inside the entire night, away from windows. Not only will looking at the moon trigger it, but looking at a reflection of the moon will do the same. The four of us have become immune to the effects, but it has taken a long time."

"This whole thing is crazy," Anna trailed off, unsure of what to think. "We became mermaids only happened a month ago. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all."

Emma chuckled. "It can feel a little surreal and crazy at times. However we want to show you the joys of the abilities we have. Everything we risk is so much worth it."

Anna smiled. These were good girls. Ones who wanted the best for all mermaids. This is what Anna loved being a part of. She just wondered if this hope could last. Right now the world knew about four mers in existence: Sara and Farley, as well as Sara's friends Mia and Katy. They had a good story…But, Anna knew she needed to focus. She had only been a mermaid for a month. These girls were offering help, and that's exactly what she needed.

"Anna!" A familiar voice called to her. The group of five turned to see David slowly making his way over to them. Anna blinked a few times, almost in surprise. She hadn't seen or talked to David since they broke up which made Anna nervous. He still knew her secret after all.

Anna crossed her arms, trying to look tough. "What are you doing here David?" Anna questioned.

"Who is this?" Emma asked, one eyebrow raised.

"This is David," Fallon interjected. "Anna's douche of an ex-boyfriend."

"Again, I ask what are you doing here David?" Anna questioned once more.

David shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I came here to apologize," He spoke neatly. Anna furrowed her brow in response. "I don't care about getting back together. I know that's obviously passed. But, I at least wanted to say sorry for my actions and get it off my conscience."

"And…?"

"I'm sorry," David finished. "For the way I acted and what I said."

"You came all this way for that only?" Anna questioned brutally. "Ok. You apologized. Now, get out of here."

"Right. Got it," David cut short and turned around and began walking away. He stopped though after a few steps. "Actually, there's one more thing I have to apologize for." He turned around to face the group, phone in hand, texting a quick message to someone.

"And what might that be?"

David smirked. "This." He stated.

Nothing immediately happened.. "I'm sorry, I don't understand," Anna spoke to him, somewhat confused, yet in a mocking tone. "You haven't-" but she stopped short. Beneath her feet she heard gurgling and bubbling, like water was moving around.

"If there's one thing that you taught me after our break-up," David sneered. "It's always have a good friend to turn on the sprinklers." All five girls gaped, unable to move. It was too late. Exploding from the grass, giant plumes of water sprang up, soaking everyone and everything in sight. People shouted in surprise and moved to the dry areas, farther away. "See ya mermaid bitch," David spoke and walked away. The five girls, in total shock, barely could move away. Ten seconds were up, and they all fell to the grass, their tails exposed. The crowd, staring out over the field with the sprinklers running rampant, looked out in shock as five mermaids lay sprawled out, on the wet grass, just as the sprinklers began to stop spurting water. The crowd rushed forward.

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Looking on, much farther away and in complete shock, was Luisa, running late as usual. She saw everything. She stared on in utter disbelief as the crowd descended on her best friends, a few silent tears streaming down her face. Everything was ruined. She turned and sprinted away, her face wet with tears, her mind clouded with pain. She needed to get away, escape the madness. So she kept running to nowhere.

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Sara screamed internally as Mia and Katy cut there telepathic connection. They had told her everything… Raven, Marian, Elliot, and Lizzy all were in the moon pool; turned into three mermaids and one merman. The two worst people she knew, had become the unthinkable. Two of her new best friends thrust into a world they knew nothing about. The tears streamed down her face as she opened her eyes and faced the world again, the shock causing her to fall out of her chair and land onto a knee in front of here.

Rikki and Zane looked on in shock at her the suddenness of Sara's fall.. "What happened? What's going on?" Zane questioned. "Was that Mia and Katy contacting you?"

Barely making it out through her choked voice, Sara spoke. "The full moon passed over Mako. Four people were in the moon pool. Raven, the girl who revealed Farley, and Marian, the girl who revealed me were both in there. Along with… Elliot and Lizzy. They're gonna be mermaids when they wake up in the morning. All of them…"

Rikki and Zane looked on in shock. "How did that happen?" Rikki questioned, barely keeping her anger contained.

Sara quickly explained what went down, fighting back tears. Rikki and Zane paced back and forth, filled with anxiety. The worst had happened. "What do we do now?" Zane asked.

"I don't know!" Sara yelled. Many workers turned to see her for just a second before turning back to their tasks, murmuring the whole way. Farley jogged up to see them, a puzzled look on his face. All the color drained when he heard what had was going on. "We need a plan… If Raven gets what she wants, she'll sell out the secret to being a mermaid. Everyone will want a tail. Everything will be ruined." Farley concluded

"We need to get back to Australia," Zane affirmed. "We can hook up with the rest of the group and try to figure something out. We have to do… something about this."

"Ok… That's a start at least," Sara begin. "If not we can-" Sara was cut short by her phone ringing. She frowned when she saw it was Luisa calling her of all people. She relaxed for a moment before answering. "Hello?" She asked calm, cool, and collected. And Luisa's voice screamed through the speaker.

"TODO ESTÁ MIERDA! NO PUEDO CREER! SARA! VAMOS A MORIR! JODER NUESTROS AMIGOS VAN A ESTAR ENCARCELADO. Y SOMOS LOS PROXIMOS!" Luisa screamed into the phone between noticeable hysteric sobs.

"Luisa! What the hell is going on!? Speak English please, I can't understand you," Sara spoke frantically, trying to calm her down.

"Anna! Fallon! They're mermaids! Changed! In Public! And the girls you sent!" Luisa rambled. "Everything fucked!"

"Wait what? What happened?" Sara questioned, not wanting what she thought Luisa had said to be true.

"We were meeting at a park. All of us! And… I was late. I came to see the sprinklers in the park going off and…. They all got splashed! There was no time to run and… Last thing I saw was the crowd surrounding them..." Luisa sobbed.

"Fuck everything…" Sara spoke, staring off into the void as she felt her careful work to build up a society was crumbling down around her.

"What did Luisa say?" Zane questioned.

"We're ruined…" Sara spoke off. "We need to get to Ben's office. Denman's in there too discussing other terms. We…" She stood up without speaking again and jogged off to Ben's office.

"Wait! What did she say?" Rikki called after her.

Sara was too preoccupied to answer her. Her mind was buzzing with constant fears and anxieties, all pummelling her. She burst into Ben's office with a wide-eyed look. Denman jumped back in surprise when the door burst open. Ben stood up immediately, fearing something bad. "Sara? What's going on? Why did you just barge into here?" Denman questioned.

Rikki and Zane followed right in behind. Rikki stiffened when she saw Denman but spoke nothing. "What is the matter with you people? Does nobody knock anymore?" Ben spoke, trying to make a joke, but it didn't work.

Sara shook with the anxiety, barely getting the words out. "W-we may have a big problem…" She stammered. "It's the biggest thing ever… We… I don't know. Something big has happened. Ben… turn your computer to the news… It may be… I'm sorry. I got a terrified call from Luisa and, from what she said…. We may have a problem on our hands."

"Sara… Tell us what the hell is going on," Zane stated.

"No..." Ben trailed off from behind his desk. The group turned to him looking pale white, staring at the screen with the widest eyes. He spun his computer around to face the the rest of them, and what they saw confirmed every fear Sara had. Zane cursed loudly, Rikki almost fainted, and Denman sat down, head in her hands. Sara stood there. Motionless. She couldn't believe. The caption on the top of the news page was bold and simple. "NEW MERMAIDS REVEALED." And it was simply a picture of Emma, Cleo, Anna, Bella, and Fallon in the mermaid forms surrounded by a crowd.

A video began playing. A plucky young reporter with blond hair pulled back in a tight bun stood in front of the camera. "I'm here in Roberts Park in downtown Los Angeles," She began. "We can't believe it ourselves, but yes, there are five new confirmed mermaids, and they all were revealed today when a sprinkler malfunction in the park turned them into their mermaid bodies. Police were on the scene within minutes with riot gear to stop the park's crowd from causing riotous damage. I will report that we've heard that these mermaids are unharmed. Repeat, the mermaids are unharmed. They are safely in police custody until the authorities can sort this entire mess out."

"We're screwed," Rikki stated succinctly.

The reporter was handed a piece of paper from off screen. She squinted at it, then continued speaking. "We have the confirmed identities of the mermaids. Two of them live in a suburb of Los Angeles. Anna McKay and Fallon Hale. As well, the three others are immigrants from Australia. Emma Gilbert, who is currently attending College in Florida, Cleo Sertori and Bella Hartley, who are both attending the same college in San Diego. These are such young women who've gotten mixed up in this. We also must consider their relations to the other mermaids and merman who we already know about. Sara Meyer, Mia Hobbs, Katy Arlington, and Farley Davis may all have some kind of connection to these new mermaids. What do they want and Why are they here? These are questions we need to answer. We will keep you updated as soon as new details arrive." Then, the video ended.

Dead silence gripped the room. Nobody dared say anything. There was nothing to say. They all had to digest the words coming from the news report. This was the first time everything felt completely out of their control. They felt as though all their cautious work was crumbling down around them. "I need to go after them!" Rikki announced, heading for the door. "I'm going down to the police station."

"Wait!" Denman exclaimed, stepping in front of Rikki and preventing her from leaving.

"Denman if you don't get out of my way right now, I will hurt you," Rikki spoke angrily through gritted teeth.

"If you go there you will be revealed. Nobody knows who you are, so if you're going after them, people might assume you're a mermaid," Denman explained. "Let myself, Zane, and Ben go. Zane and I will seem like their managers as we are for Sara and Farley, and one of the captured girls is Ben's daughter. We're the logical ones to rescue them. Please Rikki. See this logically. It could be a trap to reveal more mermaids."

Rikki sighed. "Fine, I will stay here. But, if it comes to it, I am willing to reveal myself to be with them. Now, I think I need some air." Rikki stepped around Denman and left the office.

"Let's go," Denman announced to Zane and Ben, before following Rikki out of the office.

Zane nodded and turned to leave. Sara grabbed his arm. "Wait. The three of you." Farley, Zane and Ben frowned. "We need to get back to Australia as soon as we can. While this situation sucks now, the bigger problem is with our friends back in Gold Coast. Two of our enemies know the secret to becoming a mermaid. I wouldn't put it past them to sell it away to the world. We need to defend Mako Island at all costs."

"Mako Island?" Ben questioned.

"It's where we got our tails," Farley spoke. "Make us not regret trusting you with that information. Because of your daughter, you are a part of this group now. Welcome to Team Mako."

"I don't know what that means. But, I will do whatever I can for this group. For Anna's sake," Ben affirmed.

"Good, because we need to use Rally Records' private jet to get back to Gold Coast," Sara spoke. "We have to hook up with our old friends and try to find a way to fix this. We need people here too who will help deal with the developing situation here."

Ben nodded. "I will send you three back to Australia to deal with your issues," He answered. "I must stay here though. I have to be here for Anna."

"We understand," Zane consoled. "Now… Let's go see if we can save the girls."

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Ben, Zane, and Denman were crammed in the back in one of Rally Records' many black, inconspicuous SUVs. The travel to the main police station in LA was a quiet affair. They were three different people with three very different opinions and experiences. However, they knew what the stakes were. The people close to them were all in trouble, and it was time to take action.

The SUV rolled up to the police station, an immense crowd of people surrounding the perimeter. A brigade of police officers in riot gear stood facing the crowd, barriers to their back.. Towards the front of the crowds of people were journalists all clambering for shots at the mermaids locked safely inside of the police station, as well as the rescue brigade of Ben, Zane, and Denman.

Thankfully the police knew they were going, and moved out of the way for the SUV to pass into the perimeter and saddling up next to the building. With somber faces, Zane, Denman, and Ben stepped out of the SUV. Within a moment, brilliant flashes lit all around them as photographers and reporters began snapping as many pictures as they could, trying to capture some historic moment. The questions were hurled at the three of them. "What more aren't you telling us?" Cried one reporter. "Who else are mermaids?" Shouted another. The three of them steeled their nerve as they were escorted into the building.

The air was cool when they entered, with low level lighting, giving a spooky and eerie effect. In front of them stood a man with thinning hair. He had an average build, but was surprisingly short. Maybe could've been around 5'7" at best. He noticed the three of them walking toward him he furrowed his brow. "Welcome," he spoke curtly. "I am Police Chief Tom Robinson."

"I'm Benjamin McKay," Ben responded, fiercely shaking the man's hand. "These are my two associates, Dr. Linda Denman and Zane Bennett. I believe you have girls in custody that we care about. And we want them released."

"Ah yes, the mermaid girls," Mr. Robinson chided. "I'm afraid that's impossible to release them now."

"What do you mean impossible?" Zane questioned strongly, beginning to seethe.

"Watch your tone with me young man!" Mr. Robinson condescended. "Your lovely mermaids have caused quite the public disturbance. Their little insolence almost caused a riot in Roberts Park. We had to waste many police resources to deal with their little stunt."

"So what, you're just gonna keep them caged up?" Ben roared, now beginning to become furious as well.

"If we assume they're people, I can keep them here for twenty-four hours before I charge them with something, which would probably be disturbing the peace. That's even if we can consider them people," Mr. Robinson prattled on.

Zane stepped up and grabbed Mr. Robinson's shirt. "Listen hear you son of a bitch. They're more human than you'll ever be!" Zane barely had a moment before two officers grabbed him and dragged him toward the door.

"Get him out of here!" Mr. Robinson shouted, readjusting his tie.

The officers dropped Zane into the entryway. Ben and Denman helped pick him up off of his feet. "We failed," Zane groaned sadly. "Those bastards are beginning to see the mermaids as nothing more than animals. We may be unable to stop it.

"We gotta hope the girls survive the moon tonight," Denman noted. "The worst may come true with failure. We can deal with the public image later. But right now… We have to have hope for sure."


	62. Chapter 61: Only Fear

**Hey I'm back! Again! I promise I'm trying to get into a better writing and release schedule but it hasn't been easy. With that being said I'm beginning to write Part 3 and there is a lot to deal with going into the final act. I do believe I'm going to have around 100 chapters when I get this thing figured. I have been writing for almost two years as well.**

 **Anyway enjoy chapter 61. There's going to be a lot more coming soon.**

 **Chapter 61: Only Fear**

Elliot awoke to loud and ear-shattering pounding knocks on the main door of the Redemption. Half asleep, he fumbled around for his phone. He brought the glass screen to his face, squinting as he was trying to focus his vision. The time showed 7:07 am, way too early for him to be up. Especially with what happened last night.

 _Last night…_

The memories came crashing back to him. Everything that had happened the previous night. He was in the moon pool under the full moon. He was going to grow a tail… Just like his sister... _No… That can't be right… I can't be a merman…. I must have been dreaming._

Putting his mind away from it, he walked through the boat to the main door to the cabin where the knock came from. He flung open the door to see Lizzy, standing in front of him. She had wide and wild eyes with bags under them. Her hair was matted and tied up in a messy bun. She looked exhausted, like she hadn't seen sleep in days. "Oh Hey Lizzy," Elliot spoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You're here early."

Lizzy raised an eyebrow at his shirtless form. "I'm sorry to wake you though… but I think we should talk… Can I come in?" She asked worriedly.

"Sure yeah," Elliot yawned, turning back and heading in, making sure to grab a shirt from his drawer. "What's the big issue?" he asked, hastily putting on the shirt. It ended up being inside out but he didn't care at the moment.

"I think you know what the big issue is. I've been thinking a lot about last night," Lizzy spoke. "I couldn't sleep at all. I mean… if they're right and we have tails now…. I don't know what to think anymore." Lizzy was almost in tears. "I didn't even touch any water on my way here. I'm too scared…"

"Hey, come here," Elliot spoke, and the two of them shared a hug. For a moment, their crazy world melted away and they felt whole again. They had been through a lot over the past twenty-four hours and it had affected both of them. Lizzy especially. The kidnapping and mermaid thing was taking a toll on her emotional state. "We're here together… That's what matters. But I do think we should find out fully if we have tails or not."

"Can we take the Redemption out to Mako?" Lizzy asked. "I think that would be safer for us… away from other people."

"Of course," Elliot smiled as he broke away from Lizzy and calmly strolled to the bridge and turned on the engines. Lizzy stood next to him as Elliot took the wheel, moving the Redemption out to see. "I'm with you Lizzy. We'll see soon what we have become.

"I understand," Lizzy spoke. "Even if we have tails… at least we're in good company. Besides Marian and Raven at least."

"Raven is the main one we have to worry about. Marian wants nothing to do with the mermaid thing, but she'll eventually come around for her own sanity I hope. Raven might ruin the secret to being a mermaid, which would be a terrible prospect," Elliot explained. "For both my sister, and now me, we have to stop that."

The rest of the way to Mako remained mostly silent. Elliot stared out the front windscreen stoically, manning the helm. Anxieties and worries raced through his head. Lizzy began pacing behind him, trying to figure out what her life had become. Within a while, Mako Island was visible on the horizon, it's volcanic peak jutting out of the serene ocean. Elliot turned the Redemption slightly, gliding to a stop off of Mako's southwestern coast. "Ok, are you ready?" he asked to Lizzy as he made his way to the back of the boat.

"In the wise words of Sara Meyer, it doesn't matter. I have to do this. And I will do it the best that I can," Lizzy answered bravely, and she followed after him.

They both stood at the back of the boat, staring out over the lapping waters. Mako's rock face was off to their right, some twenty meters off. Elliot turned to Lizzy. "Ok, let's just sit down on the edge and put our legs in the water. If we turn into mer people then… well… at least we won't fall. I heard stories of mers turning while standing up. Great comedic story but not something we want to deal with."

Lizzy nodded, and the two of them sat down, dangling their legs into the water. They held each other's hands to feel close so they wouldn't be scared. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only like five seconds, Lizzy spoke. "When is this supposed to happen. Or is it even happening? Because I feel-" But she was cut short by a tingling sensation rippling up her body. Lizzy closed her eyes in surprise. Feeling brave, but fearing the truth, she opened her eyes and looked down. She gasped in shock.

Connecting from her stomach down was an orange fin, the same color as Sara, Mia, and Katy. It was beautiful and shimmering. Lizzy couldn't believe it was real. She reached down and touched her amazing tail. It was definitely hers and definitely real. This was actually happening. It was slimy and rough. A flashback went through her mind of a few weeks ago when she touched Sara's tail. It was when they became friends. That one moment led her to this morning. Everything she had encountered with Sara and her friends had led to this one moment where she became a mermaid. And, she knew she wasn't scared anymore.

Lizzy looked over at Elliot to see him gaping at a blue tinted tail connected to him as well, the same color as Farley's. And the truth came out, devastatingly so. If they had tails, that means Raven and Marian were mermaids as well. This was all going downhill so fast. But, Lizzy was determined. They were now a real part of this whole thing, like it or not. "Well, so this actually is happening," Elliot joked sarcastically. "I'm a merman and you're a mermaid. What a time to be alive…. My sister is no longer gonna be the swim champ of this family."

"Hey, we're in this now," Lizzy spoke confidently. "I'm ready for it all. I'm gonna take on the world!"

Elliot laughed. "You sure are the optimist aren't you. I will say one thing though. This might run in my family, especially with both me and my sister. Although, I should say this swims in my family." They fell silent for a moment, admiring their new tails dangling in the water, adjusting to their feeling, especially with no legs. "So, what do we do now?" Elliot asked to the empty air.

"Swim?" Lizzy spoke, posing it as a question because it almost seemed so obvious to them, but neither of them wanted to take the first leap.

"Ok. That's fair," Elliot responded, nodding his head. "I have an idea. Since we can swim so well, let's try to find the secret entrance to the moon pool. Sara, Mia, Katy, and Farley have used that multiple times." With that being said, he slipped into the ocean water with only his head above the lapping waves. "Well, are you coming with me?" Elliot reached out his hand to Lizzy.

Lizzy hesitated for a second, uneasy for a moment. But in a moment, she decided. This was her life now and she was going to live it. She grabbed Elliot's hand and she slipped silently into the water, smiling at Elliot. Within a moment, they were both underwater.

The brilliance and clarity of the water was immense. Lizzy jerked back, looking around her. She had no feeling to breathe, no panic to surface. She just felt at peace. Elliot had a stupid shit-eating grin on his face as his blond hair floated around his head. Looking straight out toward Mako, they noticed what they were looking for almost immediately. It was strange, Lizzy felt as if the cave was calling toward her. It almost looked hidden… but it wasn't. Something in her mind pointed toward it.

Elliot noticed it too. He put his hand on Lizzy's shoulder, pointing out the cave too. And, she nodded in return. For a second, they moved forward slowly, testing the strength of their tails. When confidence came back, they shot forward faster. It was only twenty meters, but Lizzy and Elliot felt pure joy as they reached the cave.

They surfaced into the cave to see they were ending up in the Moon Pool. The cool stone felt relaxing as they rested against it, staring up at the volcanic cone above them. "This is amazing…" Lizzy trailed off, feeling the awe of being a mermaid.

"This is our future," Elliot noted. "We have become part of something greater." He put his head down. "And with all that we've been through, I'm glad to be here with you."

They both turned and looked at each other. Hope in their eyes. "A month ago I didn't know what I was gonna do with my life. But meeting Sara and you… It's really opened my eyes to the world and I'm proud to be here with you as well," Lizzy spoke warmly.

The two of them were close together in the moon pool, their bodies just a hair's breadth apart. Elliot took the opportunity. Reaching across he caressed Lizzy's face and brought his lips to hers, pulling her into a kiss. Lizzy was ready and reciprocated the emotion. And together, for one moment, they felt whole, with everything crazy going. As their kiss continued, Elliot and Lizzy knew what they wanted. This was their future alright. It was an interesting future for sure, and they were gonna do it together.

They broke away for a second and stared into each others' eyes. They savored the moment away from the world, with just the two of them. Elliot wouldn't have it any other way.

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Five girls stood in a small room at the police station. They paced around worriedly. Everything that had gone wrong had gone wrong. They at least were given food and water, and the room they were being kept in wasn't a full jail cell, but it still felt as if they were under arrest even if they didn't do anything wrong. They weren't getting any info about why they were being held and what was going on, which made them worried.

"So what's our plan here?" Cleo spoke to no one in particular.

"You're asking us?" Fallon chided. "We're only in this predicament because of this stupid meeting and Anna's idiot ex-boyfriend."

"Don't put this on me!" Anna fired back. "I broke up with him because he couldn't accept me for what I am. He just wanted to use me for his own fame."

"Because you thought it would be a smart idea to tell him!" Fallon shouted angrily. "And look where it's gotten us!"

"Sara said I should find someone to trust with my secret! I thought I could trust him!"

"Girls please stop this!" Emma interjected. "What's done is done. Now we just gotta find a way to get out of here…"

"Any ideas without using our powers?" Bella questioned. She asked quietly in case someone was listening in.

"The only thing I can think of is getting a lawyer and having them bust us out of here," Cleo shrugged. "I have a feeling they won't let us out of here without a fight."

Emma nodded. "That's what I fear as well. The way they had to get riot police to disperse the crowd does not bode very well for us."

"My only fear is that the full moon will rise soon," Bella noted. "We need to get out of here to avoid it."

Emma peered out the window into the twilight. The sun was setting, and now the moon would be up soon. They had to keep Anna and Fallon away from the window at all costs. The issue was that the moon would still want to convince them to look at it even if they weren't starstruck. And if that happened…. Emma shuttered at the thought.

Cleo began knocking frantically at the heavy wooden door, trying to get anyone's attention. When she finished, the last knock echoed down the hall. Soon, a slit opened at eye level, showing an angry face on the other side of someone they didn't recognize. He seemed important, and incredibly furious. "Please let us out of here!" Cleo pleaded.

"Ain't gonna happen," The man chided. "You caused a riot and we had to waste valuable police resources to deal with it. So, you're not gonna get out of here for a while."

"Please. You can't just keep us in here!" Emma exclaimed.

"Ha! That's what you think. I can do whatever I want. Since there's no precedence for mermaids in the law code, I don't have to do anything. And, I'm even more annoyed now after one of your crew almost assaulted me earlier," he condescended. "So, you'll all be in there until we realize what to do with you."

"Can we at least get some water?" Anna asked politely.

"Fine. I'll get some water," he responded. Then under his breath as he closed the door, "Mermaid bitches and their water."

Cleo sat on the floor, feeling defeated. "We're so screwed," she moaned. "Even if Anna and Fallon don't get moonstruck tonight, we still have to deal with everything that the law system will hit us with, especially when many wouldn't even consider us human."

Emma knelt in front of her. "Since when are you Debbie Downer?" Emma questioned. "You're usually pretty optimistic. We'll get through this no matter what."

"So who do you think assaulted that bloke from our crew?" Bella asked.

"Zane," Emma and Cleo both said simultaneously.

"Figures as much," Bella joked.

Anna leaned against the table. This was not how she thought the this month of her life would go. But, she trusted Bella, Emma, and Cleo. They were smart and caring. And even when things looked the most bleak, they were still trying their best. There was a shuffling by the door, and they looked to see a flap towards the bottom open up, and five bottles of water fell to the ground, scattering in different directions.

"Well…. At least we get some amount of luxury," Bella joked. Anna walked over and picked up a bottle drinking half of it in one go.

Cleo's eyes flicked to the window. "The moon's in the sky," she stated ominously.

"I sense it too," Emma responded.

"How do you girls do that?" Fallon questioned.

"Years of experience," Bella added. "I've been dealing with the moon every month for twelve years. We've all grown immune to its effects. It takes a while though. And since it's your first full moon, we want to make sure nothing bad happens. The first one is usually the worst."

"Well, we're screwed then," Fallon chastised. 

"No. Not yet," Cleo spoke. "We just have to be careful of…"

She was cut off. The lock on the door clicked, and the door opened. Behind it stood the angry man. He kept his arms crossed, and looked straight at all of them warily. "Let me tell you something. My name is Chief Tom Robinson, and you're making my job a lot harder," he warned. "I have to deal with you… mermaid freaks or whatever you are. I wanted a peaceful evening, but your riotous reveal has strained many of my resources."

"We never meant to!" Cleo exclaimed. "We were just-"

"I ain't gonna hear it," the Chief interrupted. "Dealing with you all is bad enough." He moved to the table, grabbing a bottle of water off the table, taking a quick swig. "Let me tell you all how this is going to go down. We're keeping you here overnight for the time being. Then, in the morning we're gonna decide what we're gonna do and charge you with. This is… if the criminal code even applies to… non-humans."

"We are humans!" Emma exclaimed. "You can't just decide what we are based on your misunderstanding."

Chief Robinson pondered for a moment. He put a hand to his face and massaged his scraggly beard for a few moments. In a moment, a devious smirk appeared on his face. He reached out with his hand that held the bottle and swung it in a long arc, spray all five girls in a violent mist of water. They all cried out in surprise. Too shocked, their tails appeared before they had time to react, and they all fell to the dusty floor of the police station. "I don't know it what right mind you think you're human," Chief Robinson sneered. "Normal humans don't have scaly tails.

It was getting worse though. Anna looked upward from her position on the floor and out the window. Just as she was getting her bearings, the moon came into view. She stared deeply into it. It consumed every fiber of soul. In only a moment, she was lost to its power.

 **I loved writing the scene between Elliot and Lizzy. I thought it was a good moment for the two of them. And, since I haven't said this in a while, please send in a review and tell me what you think. They keep me going as we are about to head into part 3. I don't know when I'll be back for chapter 62 but hopefully it will be soon.**

 **(Btw this is the first chapter released from my new laptop so start of a new era)**


	63. Chapter 62: Glory of the Full Moon

**Chapter 62: Glory of the Full Moon**

Sara stood in front of Rally Record's private jet. She began pacing back and forth nervously. Their whole world was seemingly going to shit, but she needed to link back up with Mia, Katy, and the rest of Team Mako back home. They needed to defend the island at whatever cost necessary. Raven was going to absolutely destroy everything it meant to be a mermaid. She hated to leave Anna, Fallon, Bella, Cleo, and Emma in captivity… but it was necessary. They had good people in California to look after them. She, Farley, and Zane needed to go back to Australia and figure out how to best deal with Raven.

"Relax for a moment," Zane advised. "Farley will be here soon. We have to trust that."

"Can we?" Sara questioned. "Hell is going on in our world right now. For all we know, Farley is captured as well and being run experiments on right now. I wish I could have hope but unfortunately that hope is slowly evaporating."

The pilot called back to Sara. "We need to star taxiing in five minutes Ms. Meyer, no later. If your third guest is not here by then we will have to leave him behind. Our flight plan is pretty rigid right now."

Sara nodded solemnly. "Understood." She answered.

Zane sighed. "We may have to leave him here. He'll be ok. He's got Denman, Ben, Rikki, and others to keep watch on him if that has to happen. But… are you going to be alright with that?"

"If it comes to that… So be it," Sara stated. "I hate to be apart from him, but if we need to split up to better figure things out right now, then that's what we need to do."

Zane and Sara stayed silent for several moments. Quietly hoping that around the bend Farley's car would suddenly appear, and they could all go together like one big happy family to go solve the crisis at home. But, as the minutes ticked by, it became less and less likely. "Ms. Meyer," The pilot spoke calmly and solemnly. "I hate to say it, but we have to be wheels up soon. We need to start our takeoff proceedings now…"

A single tear fell out of Sara's eye. But she knew what needed to happen. "So be it," She stated. "Let us go.

Zane nodded and climbed up the stairs and into the jet. Sara began after him. As soon as she rached the top, she looked back over the tarmac. _Good luck Farley. Help free the girls and I will take care of Raven._ She thought to herself. In a moment, the airplane's door closed, leaving Sara isolated.

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The girls looked on in shock as Chief Robinson stood over them, smirking with malicious delight. Cleo looked over worriedly at Emma. This kind of thing was the exact thing they wanted to avoid. "Look at you all," Chief Robinson sneered. "And you call yourselves human. You're half fish. I can't believe I had to waste police resources on mermaid bitches."

"You can't do this to us!" Bella cried. "You don't get to decide whether we're humans or not!"

"You think I care what you think?" Chief Robinson berated. "I don't want anything to do with you fishies."

"I'm done with this idiotic buffoon," Anna swooned. Everyone turned to look at her. "Those who don't accept us need to be taught a lesson."

Emma gasped. She immediately recognized that sentiment. "Anna, are you alright?" She questioned.

Anna turned to Emma, creepy smile on her face. "Oh Emma. I'm quite alright. However, I refuse to lie down in wait for those who hate us. The full moon commands action," Anna warned.

"What?" Cleo blurted out. "Anna. You've been moonstruck. You've got to snap out of it."

"The moon calls out to us," Anna spoke calmly. "You have shunned the lure of the full moon for too long. But no matter. There is more than what is at stake here."

"What the hell are you blabbering about the moon for?" Chief Robinson questioned, increasingly confused.

Anna turned to look at Chief Robinson, a chilling look in her eyes. "People of your sentiment are a cancer on this world," Anna spat. "That hate will destroy everything. Us mermaids are here to stay. No matter what you think." Without a second thought, she shot out her hand toward the girls around her. The other girls gasped as Anna used her powers to remove all the water from their bodies, collecting it into a ever growing ball above her head. Within a moment, the five of them were completely dry. It was faster than they had seen happen before. The moon must've been giving Anna increased powers.

They all jumped up to their feat in a panic, looking to Chief Robinson whose eyes were wide and in shock as he looked at the basketball sized ball of water floating above the ground as Anna eyed him with suspicion and anger. "Is this what being moonstruck is?" Fallon whispered to Cleo.

"Unfortunately yes," Cleo answered in a shocked tone. "She won't remember anything in the morning. We just have to make sure she doesn't do anything terrible. The way she's talking… I don't know."

Anna confidently walked up to Chief Robinson, ball of water still floating above her hand. "Tell this to everyone you know," She commanded. "Mermaids are not to be hated anymore. Your foul stench is not to be a part of this."

Chief Robinson regained his composure, trying to stand up straighter and appear more intimidating. "I don't know what you are. You are more dangerous than I thought. You mermaids deserve more nothing now. You should be kept away from society!"

"Figures," Anna chuckled. And, she shoved the ball of water toward Chief Robinson. It smashed him in the face and shoved his head backward into the open door. The impact dazed him for a moment, and he fell to the ground, conscious but a bit stunned and woozy.

"Anna! What the hell are you doing?" Emma shouted.

"I'm taking back what we deserve!" Anna exclaimed back. "First of all, I'm getting out of here. And, without a second thought, she sprinted out of the room, leaving in the girls in stunned shock behind her.

"We need to get her back! She'll destroy everything!" Bella exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Emma added and chased after Anna. The other girls blindly followed behind, racing behind Anna. It was a short trip out of the police station. There were shouts and exclamations of shock as the hodge podge group of five girls sprinted through the station. Anna burst out into the night, followed by Cleo, Fallon, Emma, and Bella.

"Emma!" Cleo exclaimed. "Cover the moon with clouds! We need to prevent Fallon from being moonstruck!"

"On it!" Emma replied, and she lifted her hand slightly upward. Within ten seconds, clouds formed and rushed in from all angles, closing off the sky. They had saved it.

"Girls. We must listen to the moon," Fallon swooned. They were too late. They realized in that moment that Fallon was moonstruck too. "It calls us to Isla Delfin. We must go to it." And in a moment, Fallon chased off after Anna.

"Damn it! We're ruined!" Bella moaned.

"Not yet!" Emma replied and chased the two moonstruck girls. They had turned right, heading for the ocean. Emma, Cleo, and Bella raced after them, trying to keep pace with the sprinting girls in front of them. In a moment, they turned a corner to see two police vans turn suddenly in front of them and block the way forward on the sidewalk and street. There quick reaction was waiting and prepared for this very moment. It's like the police guessed that they would try and escape. Emma, Cleo, and Bella stopped suddenly and looked out in shock of what they were facing. For several seconds, no one moved. Even Anna and Fallon had stopped dead in their tracks as they stared down the vans as more and more police cars piled in from all directions leaving every exit blocked. Officers from all around stepped out of their cars and stood behind their doors, weapons at the ready.

"MERMAIDS!" A burst of sound came from a megaphone come from a police van. "GIVE UP NOW AND TURN YOURSELF IN. WE WILL USE FORCE IF NECESSARY"

"We must be allowed to live as we see fit!" Anna shouted above the chaos, her voice unnaturally booming over the background noise. "We will not allow people to control us. We only wish to serve the glory of the full moon!"

Cleo and Emma groaned in embarrassment and put their hands to their faces. Bella just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "The glory of the moon? Really?" Emma moaned.

Anna reached her hand out toward a small fire hydrant off to the side. For a moment nothing happened. Then, a rumbling came through the pipes as water burst outwardly in a massive flow. Anna collected it with her powers, creating a bigger and bigger mass of water in front of her. Shocked police officers looked on as Anna sneered in delight. Fallon stepped up and clenched her fist, beginning to heat the water until it started to bubble and steam. Bella, Emma, and Cleo stepped back in shock as they felt the heat of the water ball many feet behind. They saw Anna begin to place her arm forward, preparing to launch the massive ball of boiling water outward onto the officers.

"NO!" Cleo shouted and shoved out her hand, and the ball stopped in mid air, caught in place between Cleo and Anna's powers, but Cleo's years of experience were winning.

Anna turned back to Cleo in anger. "The moon calls us to destroy the people who would hate us! Why dare you stop me?"

"This is not the way Anna!" Cleo exclaimed. "I know you may not be able to hear me and understand. But we must gain their acceptance through love not through hate! This will only give them more reason to hate us!"

"The moon has given its command!" Anna yelled back. "And I must obey it!" She pushed her powers to the limit, straining against Cleo. A drop of sweat trickled down Cleo's face as she struggled against the combined power of Anna and the full moon.

"Emma! Cool the ball down!" Cleo shouted, kicking into gear. With a push of power, and every ounce of strength she had, Cleo forced the water upward, far out of reach of Anna and out of danger of everyone else. Emma stepped up and shoved her hand toward the ball, freezing it instantaneously. Cleo, forced the frozen ball back down, shattering it into massive chunks harmlessly in the middle of the street.

Anna whirled toward the other girls, the moon's gaze still in her eyes. "How dare you! We must-" but she stopped short. There was an empty gaze in her eyes, and she fell to the side. Sticking out of her back was a small barb, feather on the opposite end.

"They hit her with a tranquilizer!" Bella exclaimed. "We must…" But Bella was hit in the side by another dart, and she fell to a knee and then to her face. Fallon and Cleo fell as well to barbs sticking out of their necks.

"Wait!" Emma exclaimed. "This wasn't their fault! It-" A sharp object pierced Emma's side. For a moment, her vision darkened on the edges. Her mind fogged up and she felt herself falling into infinity. In only a moment, everything went black.

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"What's the plan for breaking them out of the station?" Farley asked to no one in particular. It was an odd group in Ben's office. Ben stood at his computer, monitoring any news on the situation. Denman paced in front of his desk, trying her best to think of something important and flawless to rescue the girls in captivity. Luisa was despondent in the corner, with Rikki and Laura trying to comfort her. She was the worse for wear. Her two best friends were captured and she felt hopeless.

That just left Farley, in a state of quasi-delusion, watching the goings-on around him. He had already missed the flight with Sara, leaving him in a state of sadness. For all he knew, he would never see Sara again. Farley shook off the evil thoughts, returning to the present scenario at hand.

"We can't break them out now!" Denman exclaimed. Farley snapped out of his thoughts and pressed his attention on Ben and Denman. "The full moon is high in the sky. From what I know, it negatively affects mermaids. And for new ones like Fallon and Anna, it wouldn't be good at all."

"Then what do you propose we do!" Ben spat back, standing up angrily. Steeling himself, he sat back down, calming himself. "My god damn daughter is being held against her will by those who may not even think she's human! I'm sorry if I'm a bit tense right now!"

"We want to do everything in our power to get your daughter back," Denman spoke. "I failed those girls once many years ago. I'll not soon do it again."

"One day I want to know your whole story Denman," Ben answered. "But for now I want to focus on the task at hand. The girls-" Ben stopped short. "Oh no…"

"What is it?" Denman questioned. Farley stood up swiftly, and Rikki and Laura stepped up from Luisa.

Ben flipped his monitor around to face the room. Everyone gasped in shock. "MERMAIDS CONSIDERED DANGEROUS" flashed across the screen.

"What in the hell is this?" Rikki questioned. "What has happened?"

"In a shocking turn of events, which experts believe may have been caused by some sort of reaction to the full moon," Farley read. "The mermaids in captivity have used some sort supernatural powers to attempt a breakout."

"All five mermaids were recaptured safely and are being transferred to a more secure facility for study and containment," Rikki continued. "As of now, all merpeople are considered dangerous until further notice. This includes confirmed merpeople Farley Davis, Mia Hobbs, and Katy Arlington. Persons of interest are being included as well of being suspected mermaids."

"So that's it then…" Farley spoke, leaning against the wall for support. "We're doomed. I'm an international fugitive. This is not where I considered my life would go before I turned eighteen."

"My friends… They're… gone…" Rikki trailed off.

"I have a plan of escape," Denman spoke up. Everyone turned to her in an instant. "We all need to leave California behind immediately. This won't end well if we stay here. Any of us. Rikki and Luisa included even though they're only suspected."

"Where will we go?" Farley questioned.

"Out to sea. It's our quickest way of escape," Denman responded.

.

"I can't go with you," Ben spoke. "My place is here. I must do everything in my power to save my daughter. I hope you understand. Plus, I have no connection to other mermaids so this is where I should be."

Denman shook Ben's hand. "Thank you. For everything Mr. McKay. I hope our paths cross again one day."

Ben nodded sadly. "Same with me. Good luck to you all and stay safe," he spoke. "Everything has changed… WE must do everything in our power now to save the people we love."

"So what are we gonna do then?" Asked a voice from the back. They all turned to see Luisa standing up, wiping the final tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry if I've been so emotional. I… want to thank you for being there for me. I'm with you… Mostly because Sara trusted you."

"Alright then Denman. Looks like I'm actually going to trust you for something. I never thought this day would come. What's this big plan of yours?" Rikki questioned.

"I have a friend in the marine biology community who may be willing to help us out," Denman spoke. "But, we must work quickly. Gather your things. We leave immediately."

 **And now things have really hit the fan, setting the stage for Part 3. Although, I'm still coming up with the subtitle for Part 3. Part 1 was "A New Life", Part 2 is "Overexposure", and now Part 3 coming soon. I hope you'll be around though. Make sure to leave a review if you liked it!**


	64. Chapter 63: Final Showdown

**We've finally reached it after a full year. This is the final chapter of Part 2. I've got a good start on Part 3… But that's all ahead into the future. For now, enjoy the final chapter of Part 2.**

 **Chapter 63: Final Showdown**

Raven sat at her computer, fanning through the news and social media, preparing for her next move in her ultimate plan. It was her last night in Australia, for better or for worse. It was all going to come to a head in the morning. It had been thirty-six hours since she had become a mermaid. The first change was quite shocking when she got in the shower that morning. But now after a day of testing out her new tail, she was ready. She was going to announce her mermaid abilities to the world. It would be a glorious event. She would be lauded and venerated to what she deserved. Raven smirked. Everything she had focused on when she came to Gold Coast had come true, thanks to her hard work and tenacity.

She shivered with how giddy she was feeling. The mermaid tail was everything she dreamed it would be. It's shimmering colors were beautiful. She felt peaceful in the water when she moved… _Is this what Sara, Mia, and Katy feel like all the time?_ _This is one of the most amazing experiences I've ever felt in my whole life!_ Raven steadied herself before she got too excited. She still had work to do before she could relax. She had to become famous of course!

Something caught her eye on the computer screen scrolling past. Puzzled, she clicked the link and what showed was an omen. She frowned as she looked at the headline in front of her. "MERMAIDS NOW CONSIDERED DANGEROUS." With a dangerous curiosity, she dove into it.

She read the story over and over again. Five other mermaids were captured and used a kind of magic powers to try and break out of captivity, only to be recaptured a short time later. Now, governments around the world were scared of mermaids becoming a threat. _Fuck… I refuse to have my plans spoiled by this! But…. What am I supposed to do? I can't really come out as a mermaid unless I want to be detained…_ Raven thought to herself, trying to weigh her options in her head. _Although it is interesting to hear that I have super powers. I do know the secret tho..._

Her phone sounded. She looked down to see a message notification light up clearly on its face from an unknown number. Raven raised an eyebrow and opened up the message.

"I know this is you Raven. It's finally time we meet face to face. You've undoubtedly seen the headlines about what has happened in California for mermaids. And now, since you are one, there's probably some issues that need to be addressed. As well, you know secrets that must not be spoken about. If you do be true, meet me at the beach outside of Rikki's Cafe tonight and we shall see what becomes of this mermaid thing.

Yours truly,

Sara Meyer"

Raven read it to herself angrily. This was egregious and stupid. How dare Sara question her? _What game are you playing at Sara? What do you want from me? Fine. It's about time we settle this. You want to meet? Let's meet._

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Three couples stood in the main room of the Redemption in complete and silent shock. Elliot put down his tablet after reading aloud about the recapture of the mermaids in California after their attempted escape, and the revelation that public opinion was turning against the mers. Silence permeated the research boat, as no one knew quite what to speak first. Everything they had worked for was slowly crumbling before their eyes. Elliot put his head in his hands, unsure what to think. Lizzy put a hand on his thigh, comforting him the best she could. They both had just gotten their tails and they were already considered fugitives.

Mia paced back and forth across from them, too anxious to sit down, face in a permanent scowl. Katy just looked stunned, mouth agape, eyes wide, looking more like a statue than her bubbly self. Blake and Mitch stood behind them, stoic as ever. They of course didn't have much to worry since they weren't mermen. But they were there to support, no matter what happened. "So… Obvious question of the day. What do we do now?" Mia questioned angrily, not holding back her fury. There was a noticeable yet small uptick in the temperature of the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be the brains of this whole operation?," Elliot snapped. "I just became a merman last night and already my life is over. This is not how I expected my summer to go. Oh yeah… by the way, my FUCKING SISTER is probably being dissected right now! Just in case you idiots have forgotten that small little detail"

"Did you forget about us as well Elliot?" Mia questioned. "What happened with your sister is terrible but it won't take long for them to come after all of us! So, I'm sorry if I'm not taking too kindly to your sarcasm."

"It won't be that special anymore having a tail if we all get captured and put in an aquarium which, let's be real, is the endgame for all of this! And that's the best case scenario! At least they wouldn't be dissecting us." Elliot slammed back. "And don't you dare try to take my sister for granted."

"Oh poor you! You just got a tail and a girlfriend. You're doing really prime right now aren't ya buddy!" Mia shouted sarcastically. "Put your ego away before I boil it until you're only a shriveled husk."

"Bring it on Mia! I'm curious to see what powers I'm gonna have. And what it sounds like from Farley, they're gonna be pretty powerful too being a merman!"

"Both of you! Shut up! I'm sick of both of you right now!" Katy fired, a shot of anger coming from the usually jolly redhead. "This fighting doesn't help us. We need to think through this. We have to deal with both this issue and Marian and Raven becoming mermaids. We cannot be at each other's throats. We have a lot more battles to fight."

"I agree with Katy," Blake spoke up, ending his silence as well. "I know my word doesn't mean much since I don't have a tail, but I have a less personal perspective on this. The best option for us now is to lie low. I don't know what is going to happen, but we need to see how this plays out. No country has passed laws against mermaids. So as we know now, it's all good. We can't freak out just yet."

Elliot and Mia tensed for a minute before they slowly relaxed, returning to their seats. Lizzy put her hand back on Elliot's thigh and Blake massaged Mia's shoulders for a quick moment. "Well… I guess we wait then. I wonder how Sara and the rest of them are doing right now in California with this whole thing blowing up…" Lizzy pondered.

"I believe I can answer that," a voice spoke from the side. The six of them turned to see Zane stepping into the Redemption, somber yet serious look on his face.

"Zane?" Mia questioned, shocked to see her cousin appear out of nowhere. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in California figuring everything out with your friends?"

Zane shook his head softly. "Possibly… especially with what has just happened with the girls… But… Sara and I came here to deal with a more pressing issue: What happened with Raven, Marian, and the Moon Pool."

Eyes turned downcast as he mentioned it, as they were reminded once again of their failures. A tear fell down Lizzy's face as she felt most responsible. "So you heard about that…" Katy trailed off.

Zane nodded. "Sara told us all about it. Yes… I know it may seem bleak. I just wanted to say that nobody blames you for what happened. Sara and I have a plan. It may not be much but it's at least something."

"What's the plan?" Mitch asked. "And what do you need from the rest of us?"

"Sara is going to confront Raven herself. She's going to see if there's anyway to get her on our side and see if we can make a compromise . And if not, I don't know what we're going to do. But we can't allow Raven to reveal the secret of Mako no matter what happens. With that being said, the public turn against mermaids might work slightly in our favor against Raven. She is much less likely to go out of her way to be a famous mermaid if they're considered dangerous. And, she may want to work with us now for his own safety. An, "Enemy of my Enemy" kind of thing. I don't know though."

"Doesn't sound like much of a plan," Mia scoffed.

"That's all we have right now. There's too much at stake right now," Zane admitted. "And, if things go bad, you all need to escape. I at least have a plan for that. I'll be taking the Redemption to the far side of Mako Island. If the worst thing happens, and you need to escape in a hurry, meet me there. It's the best option we have to regroup and start over again."

"So that's it then…" Katy trailed off. "Our hope rests that Raven can see our point of view, and we can convince her that giving up millions of dollars to reveal the secret of being a mermaid is worse than allowing us all to be in peace. Yeah… that'll totally work."

"Do you have another option?" Zane questioned. "Right now, we're all scrambling to deal with a million things at once. This is the best thing Sara and I could come up with on our flight here."

Elliot stood up. "I'll do anything I can," he spoke. "I don't know what's going on with my sister now… But however I can help, whatever I can do, I will give my all," he spoke proudly.

Zane nodded. "Now, here's what we're going to do."

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Night had fallen. The moon was beginning to rise over the Ocean. The air was silent… Too silent, as if itself was holding its breath for what it knew was going to come. Elliot, Lizzy, Blake, Mitch, Katy, and Mia stood in Rikki's Cafe, staring out the windows and out onto the empty beach where Sara and Raven were supposed to be meeting. The six of them were incredibly quiet, and no sound was heard in the dark Cafe, only the quick breathing of the six inhabitants.

"How long are we going to wait?" Lizzy whispered to the open air.

"No idea," Katy whispered back. "For all we know this was a ruse to trick Raven."

"Unless Zane is lying to us, they're going to show up. I feel it," Mia added.

They all fell silent, watching the empty beach, lit by the light of the bright moon. For several minutes, nothing happened. The anxiety inside the Cafe was reaching a fever pitch. They all wanted it to end.

Then, a lone figure appeared on the beach, it's silhouette seeming to float as it walked across the beach. Behind it, long hair flowed freely, almost ghostly in its movement. It was anyone's guess who it was. Katy couldn't contain herself. She pushed backward, and flew to the door, sprinting out into the night.

"Katy!" Mia exclaimed, and she followed quickly behind trying to catch her friend.

Katy was already ahead of Mia and heading down toward the beach. The four others quickly ran behind the two leads, trying to keep up. Mia finally caught up to Katy as she ground to a halt, not ten meters from Sara. They stared at Sara, as she turned her face toward her two best friends.

Sara looked tired, her eyes sunken into her skull like she hadn't slept in days. Her long blond hair now looked matted and greasy. There was a sense of sadness behind her eyes. Mia and Katy could feel it, there was a sense of failure in her. She knew what had happened to the captured mermaids… And they knew she had blamed herself for what had happened. "Sara…" Katy spoke softly, happy to see her friend, but shocked to see the pain clear as day in her face.

"You two shouldn't be here," Sara spoke calmly and seriously, but the exhaustion showed in her voice. By that time, Blake, Mitch, Lizzie, and Elliot had arrived, standing farther back from Mia and Katy to give the three friends their space. "I wanted to keep you as far away from this as possible. It's all my fault, and I'm going to make it right."

"Sara, we don't blame you for anything," Mia countered. "You didn't do anything wrong. Bad things just happen. With Raven, with the girls who were captured in California, it's not your fault."

A glistening in Sara's eye showed a possible tear, but maybe it was merely a reflection from the moonlight. "I wish I could say so," Sara spoke sadly. "I was the one who was revealed first. Everything bad that has happened since then has been a direct consequence of me. You were forced to be revealed too because of my failure. So, I have to be the one to solve it."

"You don't have to do this Sara!" Katy exclaimed. "Let's run away from here! Zane is currently on the back side of Mako Island waiting for us. We could go into hiding and forget about the entire world. We could-"

"That's where I'm gonna stop you Katy," Sara interrupted. "I wish it were that simple that we could run away from it all. But, the guilt would kill me inside. So… I have to face the world… No matter what."

"Awww… Ain't this a nice mermaid reunion?" jeered a voice from farther up the beach.

They all turned to see a dark haired figure walking across the beach, some twenty yards from where the rest of them were. Sara scowled, her blond hair blowing strongly in the wind flying across from the ocean. "I take it that you're Raven," Sara stated flatly, giving no emotion to the words she spoke.

Raven smirked, a conceited and dry look on her face as she walked toward the group. Her haughty attitude betrayed her feeling of victory against the other mermaids. "So… I see that my reputation precedes me," Raven sneared. "And you must be Sara Meyer."

Sara crossed her arms, angrily scowling out at Raven. "What do you want Raven? Fame? Fortune? Acceptance? You have your tail now. But, all that chance is over. Nobody wants anything to do with mermaids anymore. The world now hates us for we are. Congratulations Raven, you're now a fugitive."

Raven growled angrily. "You know nothing about me Sara! For years I had been in the shadows of bitches like you. You had done nothing to deserve your powers yet you got all the fame from them! I figured out the secret to becoming a mermaid, and now I can reveal to the world."

"You have no idea what you're doing Raven!" Sara shouted. "You'll only make things worse. You don't deserve your powers!"

Raven threw her hand out toward the sea, and in a brilliant display, picked up a giant ball of water out of the ocean, six feet across. "Maybe I don't, maybe I do. But I will say this is pretty damn cool," Raven spoke sarcastically, "Well, there are some of you back there that haven't come into the public light yet." With that, Raven launched the giant ball of water forward toward the group standing farther off. It exploded into a billion droplets and begun to rain on the group.

Sara put her hand out, protecting herself from the onslaught of water with her powers. The rest couldn't be said about the others behind her who were pelted with thousands of droplets, soaking their clothes. Sara turned around in shock to see Elliot, Lizzy, Katy, and Mia look up with wide eyes as their tails came out and they all fell to the ground. Sara flew over to them, kneeling down next to Lizzy. Pain came to her as she saw Lizzy, helpless in her tail, looking scared. She felt responsible. Lizzy looked up to her and Sara saw the fear in her eyes. "Lizzy… this is my fault," Sara spoke softly. She stood, turning to Raven. "What you've done I will never forgive." Sara felt power flow through her as she stepped forward.

In an instant moment, a brilliant light flooded the area. The group looked above, to see a helicopter nearing them, spotlight trained on the entire group of mermaids. Sara squinted, taking a look at the helicopter above them. There was nothing about it that seemed like police. It hovered gently, training the spotlight on the newly revealed mers of Elliot and Lizzy. Sara returned to face Raven, a smirk on her smug face once again. "I thought the world should know of the new tails in town," She spouted.

Sara's anger flared. "So you called in what? A news helicopter?" She called over the whir of the helicopters blades above them. Could you be even more stupid?"

Raven through her hand out again, and another ball of water from the ocean rose up again, controlled by Raven's powers. She held it in the air next to her, a ball of water three feet across. Raven had already done well to master her abilities after a day and a half. It almost scared Sara. Raven smirked and thrust the ball toward Sara.

This time Sara was ready. The massive ball raced toward her, yet Sara calmly put her hand out, feeling the immense power she had inside her and unleashed it. The ball stopped in mid air. "You're good Raven," Sara spoke, the anger still brewing inside of her. Sara threw her arm forward, launching it toward Raven. Raven's smug look broke, and for a moment she looked scared as she moved both hands forward, stopping the water ball a couple yards from her. "But, you're not that good." Sara focused her power, overcoming Raven. The ball lurched forward again, splashing all over Raven.

It only took the ten usual seconds, and Raven was in her tail. Sara stood over her, dignified in her win over Raven. Raven wasn't backing down either. "You think this bothers me?" Raven shouted. "I want the world to know I'm a mermaid. I want the fame! You hear that Sara! I HAVE WON! There is nothing to stop me now." A devilish smile hit Raven's lips. "And you know… I think the world should know how to become a mermaid. I think I'll tell them about your little Mako Island."

Sara stepped backward, her face turning ghost white. This was the worst scenario Sara could think of. The secret of Mako Island getting out could mean the end of the mermaids. It could mean the end of everything Sara stood for. She couldn't allow it. _I WILL DESTROY THOSE WHO WANT TO DESTROY MAKO._ She thought. It was intense anger she felt. She felt power in her mind. Power, if only she gave into the rage. She felt it deep in her and unleashed it.

Raven looked up to see Sara. She didn't look entirely there, like her mind was elsewhere. It didn't bother her though. Raven only need to set up a press conference, and reveal how to become a mermaid. Everyone would flock to it and she would be rich and famous. "Nothing you do will work," Sara spoke to her. Raven frowned. That was Sara speaking, but the voice felt and sounded different. "I must stop you." 

Sara turned to the ocean and stretched outwardly. The clouds began to darken in the sky, covering the moon and stars. Katy and Mia recognized the signs and an immediate sense of panic hit them. They could see what Sara was attempting to do, at least in some way. "Sara! What are you doing?" Katy called out.

Sara turned to face them all, and they gasped. Her eyes showed anger and rage, something that Mia and Katy had almost never seen from Sara. She was unmoving, angry, yet she had a sense of purpose about her. "I must protect Mako," She spat. "I will never allow people like her to destroy our mermaid home! So, I am only doing what must be done for Mako."

"Don't do this Sara!" Mia called out. "We can find another way…. We can-"

"Mako has willed it," Sara spoke strongly. "And I must obey! Join me you two in defending Mako from Raven!"

"We won't let you!" Katy shouted back. By that time, Mia and Katy were completely dry, and their legs returned. The two of them jumped to their feet, facing Sara. "You don't have to do this Sara!"

"And yet I must," Sara spoke, turning away from Mia and Katy to face the ocean. She reached a hand above toward the sky. Her powers flexed, and the winds frantically picked up, tearing across the beach. Mia and Katy turned as well, focusing their storm powers onto the spinning clouds above them. Not to increase the power, but to negate its effects. They could see the strain on Sara's face as she struggled fighting the two other mermaids. "It's useless to resist!" Sara shouted, and she shoved her hand toward the girls. A massive gust of wind blew them back several feet, and they landed hard on their backs, the wind knocked out of them. Katy coughed several times, trying to get her lungs back to working order.

Sara returned her focus on the clouds above her. They began to spin faster and faster, until a massive block of spinning clouds began to descend to the ground. Mia broke out of her daze and looked upward. "Holy shit! That's a tornado!" She shouted. "Everybody back!" The group of them pulled backward, with Mia helping to dry Elliot and Lizzy so they could move away.

Raven looked up at Sara, the smug attitude replaced with worry. Sara looked down at Raven, the anger coming through. "What are you trying to do Sara?"

"Saving everything," Sara stated simply, and she slammed the twister downward on top of Raven. Raven screamed as she was pulled upward by the harsh winds. Elliot, Lizzy, Blake, Mitch, Mia, and Katy could only stand helplessly as Raven was pulled deeper into the tornado. They were horrified at Sara's sudden anger. Sara didn't even say another word, and forced the tornado downward. Raven's body landed hard on the sandy beach, still in mermaid form. Sara flexed her arms, and the tornado dissipated, just as soon as it had started.

For a minute, the air was silent and calm, save for the whirling blades of the police helicopter far above them. Then Katy rushed forward to Sara, stopping just a few feet from her. "What the hell have you done!" Katy screamed. "We were supposed to show the world that we were a lot better than the people think of us!"

Sara turned suddenly, and dropped to a knee, the power drained from her. She looked up at Katy, her eyes almost glazed over before the focus came back to them. Sara almost seemed to break out of a trance as the focus came back to her eyes. "What just happened?" Sara questioned, her voice confusingly groggy and slow, as if she had just woken up.

The rest of the gang came up from behind, joining Katy. "Sara… What happened to you…" Katy trailed off

Sara stood to her feet, and suddenly the crashing emotions took hold. She turned pale, noticeable even in the poor lighting of the night and spotlight. The memories and realization of what she had just done. Sara began to shake in fear uncontrollably, before turning to Raven's still body. "No no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO!" She blurted out, no control of her emotions. "I… What… have I become…"

"Sara… We need to get out of here now…" Mia trailed off. "Zane's got the Redemption on the far side of Mako Island… We need…"

"Get away from me!" Sara shouted and shoved her hands toward the group, creating a blast of wind that blew everyone to the ground. Sara took a step back, looking at her hands in disbelief. "I have to…" She couldn't finish. She closed her eyes. Sara grasped up all the power she had, feeling the air and win that she could control in force. And, with a huge gust of wind and powerful air, she shot upwards into the sky, flying forward. The group looked on in disbelief as Sara flew through the air using her controlled wind. Within several moments, she had disappeared into the air some miles over the sea.

"What in the fuck was that…" Elliot spoke to nobody in particular.

"Sara just flew…" Mia trailed off. "Her powers… I don't know what happened to them. But now they're in overdrive. She used them to…"

Katy rushed over to Raven's body, leaning close in. "She's still breathing! But unconscious…" She called. "We could…" She was cut off by a sudden siren rising through the air, getting louder as it came closer to them.

"The police!" Lizzy called out.

"We need to get out of here," Mia spoke. "We need to get out to the Redemption but…" She turned to Mitch and Blake, too human blokes who couldn't swim all the way out there.

Mitch and Blake knew what they meant. "You need to leave us behind," Blake spoke. "You can't stay! We can't afford to have you captured."

"No!" Mia shouted, pulling Blake close. "I'm not going to lose you."

Blake pushed her away. "You have to! Get back with Zane! Leave here!" 

Mitch stepped to Katy, hugging her close. Katy knew the necessity of it. The mers had to leave now to avoid being captured. The sirens became louder and louder. Mia stepped farther away from Blake, letting logic stand out. The mers stepped together, taking one last look at Blake and Mitch standing on the beach together, ready to face whatever came.

The mers dove into the sea, leaving it all behind. Katy swam towards the back of the pack. Several yards forward she stopped, surfacing above the waves to take one last long look at her boyfriend, the pain filling her. She forced herself away and back under the waves. She swam fast to catch up with the three others, forcing the emotions deep down. Everything had been destroyed. Mermaids would never again live in peace on earth. Sara had let emotion win, and Raven lay injured on the beach. _Whatever happens.. We have to keep fighting. Nothing else matters… We must win for our own sakes.. And if we fail? We will never have peace._ Katy shoved the thoughts from her mind and focused on the swim as the mainland faded in the distance, and she swam out into the uncertainty and unknown.

END OF PART 2

 **Thank you for once again for being loyal readers of mine for 63 chapters. Make sure to send a review and follow and favorite. I've already got the first 10 or so chapters at least planned out for part 3. And, I have decided on how the whole story is going to end. I hope you'll stay with me till then! I hope to release the 2nd intermission chapter sometime in the next 1-2 weeks and the first chapter of part 3 the following week or so. Hope to see you soon!**


	65. 2nd Intermission

**2nd Intermission**

 **Author's Note: Welcome to the 2nd intermission! Once again we take a step back and look at the characters going forward, as well as a summary Part 2 and a commentary by me on the status of the story and how we've gotten here.**

 _The following is an excerpt from an FBI compiled report about the mermaid incidents._

It has been known for several weeks that the mythical creatures known as mermaids do exist in our world. Ever since Sara Meyer became revealed as a human being that was transformed into a mermaid, several strange events have occurred in regards to them. It has been shown that, in addition to growing a scaly tail when in contact with water, these mer-beings, both the male mermen and female mermaids, have supernatural abilities to control the world around them, much as superpowers. Until we fully understand these abilities, we must find and capture these mer-beings and their human companions unharmed so that there is no damage to human society. Once we have a full understanding of what these beings are capable, we can provide evidence to governments around the world so they can craft laws on what is best for them

The following is a compilation of known mer-beings, suspected mer-beings, their human companions, and their last known locations. There are many individuals involved in this, and it is important to read and understand each of these persons and mer-beings:

 _ **Captive in Australia:**_

Blake Everton: Human Companion to the mermaids. Boyfriend of Mia Hobbs, known mermaid. Seventeen years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Taken into captivity in Gold Coast for questioning after the Beachfront Battle. Looking to garner information about mermaid whereabouts.

Mitch Stevens: Human Companion to the mermaids. Boyfriend of Katy Arlington, known mermaid. Seventeen years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Taken into captivity in Gold Coast for questioning after the Beachfront Battle. Looking to garner information about mermaid whereabouts.

Raven Sinclair: Confirmed mermaid. Twenty-two years old. From Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Taken into captivity in Gold Coast after a skirmish with Sara Meyer left her seriously injured. Currently in a coma. According to hospital doctors, only a 30% chance of her awakening soon. Will keep her under watch in case of awakening

 _ **Captive in The United States:**_

Emma Gilbert: Confirmed mermaid. Twenty-one years old. Born and raised in Gold Coast, Australia. Currently attending college in Tampa, Florida, United States. Taken into captivity in California after the Full Moon Incident. Unharmed and sedated, prepping for transfer to location for further study.

Cleo Sertori: Confirmed mermaid. Twenty-one years old. Girlfriend of Lewis McCartney. Born and raised in Gold Coast, Australia. Currently attending college in San Diego, California, United States. Taken into captivity in California after the Full Moon Incident. Unharmed and sedated, prepping for transfer to location for further study.

Isabella Hartley: Confirmed mermaid. Twenty-one years old. Girlfriend of William Benjamin. Born and raised in Gold Coast, Australia. Currently attending college in San Diego, California, United States. Taken into captivity in California after the Full Moon Incident. Unharmed and sedated, prepping for transfer to location for further study. 

Anna McKay: Confirmed mermaid. Fifteen years old. Adopted daughter of Benjamin McKay. Born in Sudan (Currently South Sudan). Has been living in Perdido Beach, California, United States for thirteen years. Cause of the Full Moon Incident. Possibly dangerous. Captured and sedated. Prepped for transfer to location for further study.

Fallon Hale: Confirmed mermaid. Sixteen years old. Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Has been living in Perdido Beach, California, United States for two months. Also at cause for the Full Moon Incident. Possibly dangerous. Captured and sedated. Prepped for transfer to location for further study.

 _ **Fleeing from Australia:**_

Zane Bennet: Human Companion to the mermaids. Twenty-two years old entrepreneur and manager to Sara Meyer. Cousin of Mia Hobbs. Currently dating suspected mermaid Rikki Chadwick. From Gold Coast, Australia. Escaped Gold Coast in what we believe is the research boat "The Redemption." Currently monitoring situation.

Elliot Gilbert: Confirmed merman. Eighteen years old. Sister to confirmed mermaid Emma Gilbert. Suspected to be dating Elizabeth "Lizzy" Wright. From Gold Coast Australia. Escaped Gold Coast in what we believe is the research boat "The Redemption." Currently monitoring situation. One of only two mermen in existence.

Mia Hobbs: Confirmed mermaid. Seventeen years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Currently dating suspect Blake Everton. Escaped Gold Coast in what we believe is the research boat "The Redemption." Currently monitoring situation.

Katy Arlington: Confirmed mermaid. Seventeen years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Currently dating suspect Mitch Stevens. Escaped Gold Coast in what we believe is the research boat "The Redemption." Currently monitoring situation.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Wright: Confirmed mermaid. Eighteen years old. Suspected to be dating Elliot Gilbert. From Gold Coast, Australia. Fiercely loyal to Sara Meyer. Can be used to possibly lure Ms. Meyer out of hiding. Escaped Gold Coast in what we believe is the research boat "The Redemption." Currently monitoring situation.

 _ **Fleeing California:**_

Farley Davis: Confirmed merman. Seventeen years old. From Brisbane, Australia. Currently dating suspect, Sara Meyer. Best opportunity for ascertaining location of Ms. Meyer. Has fled California in some capacity. Will update with more information on the status of location.

Dr. Linda Denman: Respected marine biologist. From Gold Coast, Australia. Thirty-one years old. Not suspected of being a mermaid. Conducted research on mermaids. Needed for more research to see if mers really are dangerous. Has fled California in some capacity. Will update with more information on the status of location.

Rikki Chadwick: Suspected mermaid. Twenty-two years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Best friends with captured mermaids Hartley, Gilbert, and Sertori. Can use them to lure her out of hiding. Dating Zane Bennett. Has fled California in some capacity. Will update with more information on the status of location.

Laura Collins: Unknown on mermaid status. Twenty-one years old. From Miami, Florida, USA. Assistant and and co-worker to Dr. Denman. Has fled California in some capacity. Will update with more information on the status of location.

Luisa Martinez: Suspected mermaid. Sixteen years old. From Cartagena, Colombia. Best friends to Anna McKay and Fallon Hale. Highly believed that she is a mermaid as well even though hasn't been confirmed. Can use Hale and McKay to lure her out. Has fled California in some capacity. Will update with more information on the status of location.

 _ **Other persons of Interest:**_

Benjamin McKay: Human companion. Adopted father of Anna McKay. Thirty-eight years old. Current ambassador at Rally Records. Currently residing in Los Angeles. Monitor situation with him for more information.

Lewis McCartney: Human Companion. Boyfriend of captured mermaid Cleo Sertori. Twenty-two years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Studying Marine Biology in San Diego. May try to contact or free captured mermaids. Monitor situation with him for more information.

Will Benjamin: Human Companion. Boyfriend of captured mermaid Isabella Hartley. Twenty-two years old. From Gold Coast, Australia. Studying Marine Biology in San Diego. May try to contact or free captured mermaids. Monitor situation with him for more information.

These are the persons known involved with the mermaid situation. Some of these individuals are considered dangerous, so caution is advised with all dealings with the stated persons. Violence must only be used as a last resort. Due to endangered species act, we must safely capture these creatures for study. If cornered, try to use reason before violence. These mer-beings have human qualities, so they may be able to be reasoned with.

 _*End excerpt from the FBI compiled report about the mermaid incidents*_

 **Summary of Part 2:**

Sara Meyer has been revealed as a mermaid at the end of Part 1. She and the rest of Team Mako begin to put into place "Operation Endgame" which deals with what happens when a mermaid is revealed. The first step involves them putting on a press conference with Sara alongside Denman and Zane talking about her as a mermaid. Team Mako returns to the mainland in the dead of the night to avoid suspicion, with Sara going to Katy's house to hide out until the morning and the press conference.

The press conference begins the next day with Zane giving his official statement about Sara and what he knows about her, also announcing that he is her manager. Sara talks about her experiences being a mermaid, giving a nonchalant excuse on how she became a mermaid, refusing to give up Mako Island. Denman announces the "demonstration" of Sara swimming, and the press conference ends without too much issue.

Sara goes to the Marine Park with Zane and Denman, as well as the rest of Team Mako and her parents. They give their approval and Sara goes out and gives two shows in the main pool at the Marine Park, with increasing excitement from the crowd and general public. Sara begins to feel hopeful that maybe being revealed won't be the catastrophe she feared. The other mers are starting to become worried as they still have a chance to be revealed. Elliot calls his sister and reveals that he knows about her mermaid identity. They come to a mutual understanding with each other.

Sara gets taken away to ABN to do an exclusive interview on "Australia Tonight." She meets Lizzy Wright who is assigned to be her personal page at ABN. Despite being a total klutz, she and Sara connect on some level with Sara giving her number to Lizzy and they become friends. The interview goes off without a hitch, and Sara feels really good about the future. But unfortunately, only the first day has passed, and the rest of Team Mako are really hesitant about being optimistic.

The next day, Sara avoids paparazzi outside her house and swims to The Redemption, much to the chagrin of Denman and Zane. Zane announces to her that her next event is a modeling gig in her mermaid tail. She accepts but is a bit disgruntled that Zane is setting things up without her input. Farley goes off to Gentleman Australia for a video interview on what it's like dating a mermaid. He falters on the last question asking if he has abilities but he ad-libs an answer on the spot.

Sara goes to her modeling gig only to see Lizzy and her boss conducting the photoshoot. Lizzy accidently causes a problem and gets berated by her boss. Sara sticks up for her, and Lizzy becomes incredibly loyal to Sara for standing by her.

The day after the interview and photoshoot, a mysterious letter shows up at Sara's house. She reads it to realize that at least three other mermaids are out there going under the moniker of "AMK". It seems that they sent the letter to her to connect between mermaids. She brings this to the attention of Team Mako who debate about what it could mean. During this time, Farley slinks away after receiving a message. Sara gets a call from Lizzy in a panic.

Sara brings Lizzy to the Redemption to talk. Lizzy reveals Farley's interview and his falter on the last question. This causes Sara to be worried. Farley goes to Rikki's Cafe to talk with a girl known as Raven Sinclair who knows he's a merman because of the interview. They argue for a while before Raven, douses Farley in water, leaving him in his tail in front of all the customers. Sara, Denman, and Zane stage a rescue and help Farley out.

Sara and Farley give a joint press conference. They get harshly questioned by some journalists who doubt there story, but they fight it off and call them out. After this, Team Mako decides to fully initiate Laura, Elliot, and Lizzy into the group, sharing all the secrets about being a mermaid. All three reaffirm their loyalty to the cause.

The next day, Sara and Farley get offered a chance to appear in a music video for Rally Records in California by Ben McKay. Sara can't decide and swims to Mako to clear her mind. Farley meets her and together they decide to go. After a tearful goodbye with Team Mako, Farley, Zane, Denman, Sara, and Laura head off to California to film the music video.

Acting goes well for Sara. It takes a few takes but she starts to get her footing, despite never doing it before. Sara meets Anna McKay, the African-born adopted daughter of Ben and they begin to get along really well. Something feels off about Anna to Sara, however. She and Farley began to piece it together and realize that she is the"AMK" that sent the mysterious letter. Sara confronts Anna about it and she confirms, inviting Sara to actually meet her and her friends.

Sara and Farley head to Anna's home suburb of Perdido Beach to meet with her and the two other girls who are mermaids, Fallon Hale and Luisa Martinez. The meeting starts poorly as Fallon and Luisa don't trust Sara, but Sara reveals her wind powers and gains their respect. They all go to Isla Delfin, the location of the moon pool where Luisa, Fallon, and Anna became mermaids. The three of them find out their powers and Sara gives them her blessing.

Back in Australia, the rest of Team Mako are discussing what to do now that Sara and Farley are gone and how they avoid Mia and Katy being revealed. They instruct Elliot and Lizzy to see what Raven is up to and figure out her next move. Raven is visited by Marian who tries to give info but is told off by Raven. Elliot and Lizzy go to see Raven who lies and says she's giving up and going home.

Sara takes Denman to see Cleo, Rikki, Bella, and Emma, to none of their knowledge. The first meeting almost leads to violence because of Rikki and Cleo, but Emma intervenes, showing her surprising trust of Denman. She then tells the story of meeting a depressed, alcoholic Denman in Florida and forgiving her in her state of weakness. Denman reaffirms her support of the cause and the rest of the mermaids reluctantly forgive her. Raven goes to see Marian and condescendingly thanks her for her info. Marian wants to be done with everything but gets dragged right back into the fray against her will.

Back in California, Anna reveals to Sara that she wants to tell her boyfriend David. Sara is at first a bit apprehensive but eventually agrees to help. David comes to Sara's hotel room and Anna reveals her tail. David is at first in shock and leaves to think. Several hours later he goes to visit Anna and at first accepts her for who she is. But, Anna figures out he's in it for his own personal gain and they break up.

Raven correctly guesses that Mia and Katy are mermaids and ambushes Katy in her own home with water, confirming her guess. Mitch breaks Raven's phone before she can release the photos, but Raven promises she'll be back. She reveals to Katy that she wants to become a mermaid and she won't reveal her and Mia if they tell her how to become a mermaid. Katy returns to the group in tears, and Mia and her decide to go public, taking away Raven's last bargaining chip. Raven suspects this move and places a listening device on the Redemption to eavesdrop on the group as a back-up plan.

Elliot and Lizzy go out to see Marian and see what else she knows about Raven. Marian says she wants nothing to do with mermaids anymore, and only wants to see Raven fail. While on the Redemption, Lizzy and Elliot accidentally reveal a few secrets about becoming a mermaid to Raven through her listening bug. Katy and Mia go public, much to the surprise of Sara and the others in California. They tell her what happened with Raven and she wishes them luck. The two of them go on a TV show and all goes well until a crazed man throws water on them. They shrug it off as nothing and continue with the interview.

Raven sends a message to Lizzy pretending to be Elliot, luring her to an abandoned set of docks and kidnapping her. Raven reveals to Lizzy that she knows about her knowledge of becoming a mermaid. Lizzy, against her own will, leads Raven through Mako Island to the Moon Pool. Elliot recruits Marian, who reluctantly agrees to help once more, to go after them. Katy and Mia race to Mako Island too, realizing the full moon doesn't affect them anymore. Raven threatens Lizzy's life as Marian and Elliot approach. All four of them fall into the moon pool as the moon passes overhead, and they become mermaids. Elliot and Lizzy meet the next day and test out their abilities. They kiss in the moon pool and start dating.

In California, Sara gets told of what happened with Raven and plans with Zane to return to Australia to deal with Raven. As well, Fallon and Anna meet with Cleo, Bella, and Emma in a park. As they're waiting for Luisa to arrive, David comes up to them, seemingly wanting to apologize to Anna for how he acted. It's a trap however as David has a friend turn on the sprinklers, dousing all the girls with water. They all turn into mermaids and are revealed to a crowd of people at the park they are at.

Luisa races back to warn the others, and they learn that the girls are held in the police station. Zane, Ben, and Denman go to see them and the police chief scoffs and keeps them in custody. The girls in captivity are berated and laughed at by the chief and others. In the chaos, Anna becomes moonstruck. Using her powers, she stages a breakout with the other girls who try to keep her powers contained. They unsuccessfully try to keep Fallon from becoming moonstruck, and she and Anna begin to attack the police officers who want to recapture them. Bella, Emma, and Cleo use their powers to stop the moonstruck girls, but everyone is sedated and recaptured in the process. Denman, Farley, Rikki, Laura and Luisa leave after Denman states that she has a plan to escape. Ben elects to stay behind to find a way to free his daughter.

In the fallout from the full moon attack caused by Anna and Fallon, mermaids are declared as dangerous until further notice. Sara and Zane return to Gold Coast, with Sara challenging Raven to meet. Zane warns Mia, Katy, Blake, Mitch, Elliot, and Lizzy about the showdown, and he takes the Redemption to the far side of Mako Island just in case they need to meet.

The group hides in Rikki's Cafe, but they all run out when they see Sara arrive on the beach. She looks tired and rugged, but determined. Raven shows up, and she and Sara fight for a moment with their powers. A news helicopter flies from overhead, revealing Elliot and Lizzy to have tails. Sara becomes slightly possessed and angry for Raven wanting to reveal the secret of Mako Island. She creates a tornado that she uses to severely injure and incapacitate Raven. Sara, now back to her normal self, realizes what she's done. In her shame and self-hatred, she uses her wind powers to fly away, leaving the rest of the group on the beach. Katy, Mia, Elliot, and Lizzy go into the sea to swim to meet up with Zane, leaving Blake and Mitch alone on the beach.

 **I have been writing part 2 for almost two years now. I had a lot of big life things happen (Good things yet still), and they distracted from writing a lot of the time. As well, I didn't know where I wanted to go with part 3, let alone where I wanted to finish up part 2. I thought this would be the most appropriate way to end at a low point that the characters had to bring themselves out of.**

 **It was really fun to write about it. But, now I've set my sights on part 3. Good news is that I've decided how I want to end the story (slightly melodramatic but that's how it may be), yet I'm still deciding major plot points going forward.**

 **Anyway, I hope you stay with me going forward into part 3! Please send in a review with your favorite moment from part 2. I really enjoy hearing from my loyal readers, and we've been through a lot together.**

 **Part 1 was called "A Whole New Life." Part 2 was called "Overexposure." Now, get ready for Part 3, "The Long Road Home."**


	66. Chapter 64: Interrogation

**So here it is, the first chapter of part 3! Hope you like this. We now get to see what the hell is going on with our characters now that everything has hit the fan.**

 **Chapter 64: Interrogation**

Blake tapped his finger against the desk several times; half due to the boredom and half due anxiety. He usually wasn't a nervous person in general. But, lack of sleep and being arrested definitely helped make it worse. There was nothing he could but sit there. He was in an interrogation room of some kind in the police headquarters. It's walls were a plain, grey cinder block, making Blake feel more like that he was in prison than merely being questioned… It made him feel extremely claustrophobic. Even though he hadn't done anything wrong besides loving a mermaid

After he had been taken into custody by the police, he had been given little information about what was actually going on. He had heard no news of Mia, Katy, and the rest of their group after they dove into the sea. Last he knew, they were heading away quickly on the Redemption, hopefully far away from any of the authorities that had taken him and Mitch. Speaking of Mitch, Blake hadn't seen him in several hours. They had been separated as soon as they arrived and put into separate rooms. And what happened with Denman, Laura, and the group in California? He didn't have a clue. He only hoped that Farley and the other mers had made it out ok.

So, Blake just continued on waiting. It's not like he had a choice or anything. Whatever information the authorities wanted from him, he knew it had to be about the mermaids. That much was pretty obvious. Mermaids were declared a threat. Especially with what Sara had done to Raven the night before, the mermaid situation had become even more dangerous. They definitely wanted to figure out how to stop or contain them. And that included Mia. He would never let them hurt her. He couldn't. But it didn't help the predicament they were in. He and Mitch were the authorities' best leads for finding out where the mermaids went.

In a second, the handle on the door jiggled and in walked a taller man with sandy blond hair. Blake shot up to full alertness, preparing himself for the onslaught interrogation of questions. Blake studied the man that just walked. He looked young, maybe late 20s, with a nice pressed black suit. His face was thin yet muscular, yet he had a nervousness about him, possibly because he was so young. He sat across from Blake, opening up the briefcase he brought with him. Then, he looked up at Blake with piercing grey eyes, furrowing his brow as he looked ahead. Blake just stared back nonchalantly, trying not to cue the man in on his pounding heart and nervous demeanor.

"Welcome. It's good to be able to talk to you Mr. Everton," the man spoke calmly. His accent was very distinctly American, possibly West Coast. "You must have quite an interesting life, dating a mermaid and all. I look forward to learning all about it. But, where are my manners. My name is Andrew Negra, special investigator for the FBI and the US Department of State. I will be asking some questions about what you know about mermaids."

"Where's your jurisdiction?" Blake questioned right away. "You're here in Australia questioning me obviously, and you sound very obviously American. So what gives you the right to just waltz in here and ask me questions?"

"Rebellious I see. Fine. With most merbeings; both mermaids and mermen; being of American or Australian nationality, the governments of both the US and Australia have created a joint task force to investigate exactly what's going on and both me and my associate Miles White are going to get to the bottom of this," Andrew answered bluntly.

"Ok fine then. What do you wanna known Agent Smith?" Blake answered sarcastically. "How many mermaids there are? What their names and addresses are? Their current GPS coordinates? Their favorite colors? What they had for breakfast on Tuesday June 20th? That'll probably make your job pretty fucking easy."

"It would probably make it so much easier for both of us if you dropped the attitude and actually talked to me like a mature individual," Andrew chastised. "We know you had contact with a group of merbeings right before they escaped Gold Coast. We have the news footage from the helicopter that was flying overhead at the beach last night. This includes your girlfriend, one mermaid by the name of Mia Hobbs. From what it looks like, you were discussing a lot before they all dove into the waves. So, where are they going and what is their next plan?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious they're no longer in Gold Coast, or you wouldn't be wasting your time talking to me. That's at least my guess anyway. I was not clued in on it obviously since I can't grow a tail and swim away with them. I have no idea where they went."

Andrew Negra leaned forward. "You have been in the friend group with some of these mermaids for several months, including dating Mia since around back in July or August. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have told you where they were going and what they were doing.."

"Well it's the truth," Blake spat. "I don't know where they're going or what they want. Their escape was so quick and sudden, they had to leave both Mitch and I behind. Do you think if they had an actual plan and told Mitch and I about it that we would both be with them and not in this goddamn hell hole? But now I'm stuck having to partake in a lovely conversation with you. So you could say they had no plan when they left."

Andrew sat back in his chair. "Fine. We'll take this your way. So, I want to switch gears.. It has recently come out that these merbeings have certain supernatural powers that include but are not limited to hydrokinesis, pyrohydrokinesis, aerokinesis, cryokinesis, nimbukinesis. What do you know about this and what is the danger of these powers?"

Blake blinked a couple times. "What the hell are all those words?"

Andrew frowned, looking at his notes. "As described, they are using the mind to control water, boiling, creating ice, controlling wind, and crafting clouds. Happy now? We know that Sara Meyer last night used some powers to create wind and a tornado to assault and nearly kill Ms. Raven Sinclair. Now… What is the exact destructive power of these mermaids? "

Blake's flashed back several months to being attacked by Sara, Mia, and Katy when they got their storm powers. And, Sara had used those same powers to almost kill Raven. But he shook it off, maintaining his cool composure. He had to protect the girls, no matter the cost. "No more dangerous than your government." Blake spoke simply. "They have power to decide who lives and who dies, so much more than any of the mers have."

"Duly noted. We got a fucking politcal science major here," Andrew grumbled, "You are a tricky one Mr. Everton. I'm gonna have to figure out how you tick." He nodded toward the door. At that moment, a woman entered swiftly, her hair tied in a tight ponytail. She whispered something in Andrew's ear before hurrying back out of the room. Andrew smirked, rubbing his hands together. "You almost had me here Mr. Everton. You had me close to believing your story. It appears your friend Mitch Stevens has cracked under the pressure. He's ratting your ass out as we speak. So, just confess you know where they're hiding and what you know. There's no use lying anymore."

Blake burst out laughing to the shock of Andrew. Blake tried his best for a minute to calm himself, but soon, his laugh subsided. "Well, Agent Smith, that was a good one. You almost had me going there," Blake chuckled. "Here's your problem though. You obviously don't know Mitch as well as I do. The bloke has an inherent distrust of authority, and you work for the FBI. There's no way Mitch gave you any useful information, or even any information at all. You're just trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work."

Andrew turned slightly red. "Ok Mr. Everton. Seems like you've been watching too many cop shows if you think every line of questioning is a trap to trick you."

"I must think everything is a trap. That is why I'm still alive," Blake quoted sarcastically.

Andrew scowled. "And seems like you've been watching too many movies as well. Mr. Everton, I'm going to give you one more chance to come clean. Tell us everything you know about mermaids. Who are they? Where are they going? What powers do they have?"

"And I'm telling you that there's not much to say that isn't already publicly known! They aren't dangerous, I have no idea where they are or what their plan is. That's all I know right now. Good luck going from there. Both Mitch and I haven't done anything wrong. We did not aid in their escape. We did not do anything to help Sara assault Raven. nd now we're just being held against our will based on some association we have with them," Blake ranted.

Andrew stared long and hard at Blake. No sound went between them. Then, suddenly, Andrew Negra stood up, adjusting his tie. "Well Mr. Everton. I have no further questions to ask you at this moment in time. Someone else will be sent into to finish up here. We will keep in touch," he spoke nonchalantly. Then, he moved within inches of Blake's face. "Oh, and if you think about contacting your mermaid girlfriends or any of your mer friends, we will know immediately. At that moment, we will be charging you with aiding in their evasion of authorities. Think carefully before you try anything."

And with that, Andrew Negra left the room. Blake breathed an immense sigh when the door closed, finally breathing easily after the intimidating FBI agent had left the room. Hopefully the worst was over. Blake knew he had not lied, technically at least. Mia and Katy were somewhere in the middle of the ocean with Lizzy, Elliot, and Zane. Hopefully, they were away from trouble. And Sara? He had no idea. She was somehow lost to the world, flying high over the world. She could be anywhere on earth. They didn't have time to focus on her though. There were other pressing matters… How were they going to focus on getting through the next few weeks without the girls? If he and Mitch were released, than what could they even do but sit helplessly with nothing to go on.

Some time later, although Blake didn't know the exact amount as he was still stuck inside with no incoming light, the main door opened. Blake snapped to attention, only to his surprise see the tall form of Mitch enter, strong scowl on his face. They both calmed a bit when they saw each other, making eye contact. There was a strong determination there from Mitch, ready to face any danger they were up against. Mitch slowly walked over to the table, sitting down and looking across at Blake. "So…. How are you doing? Anything new?" Mitch asked in a low voice.

"Well, my girlfriend has disappeared, I've spent most of the night in jail for no apparent reason, I'm exhausted… but other than that I feel like I'm doing mostly ok. So, I got that going for me which is nice," Blake joked. Mitch just rolled his eyes. He wasn't very amused. Blake quickly changed the subject. "What happened to you?"

"That Andrew Negra-whatever his name is douche bag questioned me about the location of the girls, who they were, what they wanted. Shit like that. I didn't tell him anything," Mitch stated. Then, he glared at Blake, pointing an angry finger at him. "You better have not told them anything at all!"

"I didn't tell them anything they didn't already know!" Blake defended, raising his voice. "Why you gotta accuse me like this? But still, there's nothing to tell! The girls disappeared under the sea! They've gone into hiding. They haven't told us where because we need to keep plausible deniability."

"Shh…" Mitch suddenly whispered. "Shut up."

"What's the issue?" Blake asked quieter this time.

"There's a reason they put us in this room together," Mitch answered. "They want us to talk openly with each other, see if we'll reveal something of value to them. So, we can't do that."

"But we don't know anything," Blake contested. "We have no idea where the hell they've gone. And doesn't letting them know that we know their game make it worse on us."

"Ya hear that? We don't know anything!" Mitch called out loudly to the people listening in on them. He sat back, rubbing his temples. "Look man… I don't know. Everything we've been going through as a group, we've stuck together. Denman finding out about Sara, Sara getting revealed, Raven's issues… But now, everyone is fractured. We don't have any contact with anyone. It's just the two of us together."

Blake sighed. "You're right Mitch. We've got nothing much to go on right now. I guess we just hope that something will eventually turn our way. I don't know if it'll turn out though… Everything is so screwed..."

"What happened to the painfully and annoyingly optimistic Blake I used to know?" Mitch teased.

"Shut it," Blake spat. "And you're surprisingly not as much of a moody arsehole like you usually are, especially that were being held here."

Mitch chuckled. "I guess circumstances have caused us to change who we are. But it shouldn't matter. We need to do something, for Mia and Katy."

Blake nodded. "I agree… But we should-" Blake stopped speaking as the door to the interrogation room opened, revealing Andrew Negra once again. He had a stern look on his face as he looked at the two of them. "So what's the big news Agent Smith? Have you found all of them yet?" Blake chided. "Cuz you're such a great FBI agent I assumed you already had them in custody."

Andrew furrowed his brow. "I will refrain from speaking on the investigation at this time. Especially with you two," he spoke angrily. "However, since you both have not committed any crimes and there's nothing we can do to keep you here to get more information, we are letting you go free."

"Wow, so he does have a heart," Mitch spoke bluntly.

"The law is the law, 'mate'," Andrew spoke in a fake Australian accent. "Now come on before I change my mind and charge you with wasting my time."

Blake and Mitch nodded at each other, then they stood simultaneously. A policeman in uniform filed in, and Andrew Negra left like a ghost. The policeman led the two of them through the winding maze of people in the station. Multiple individuals looked up from their desks and their tasks to watch the boyfriends of the mermaids walk through. Blake shot a worried look up at Mitch who only frowned. "We've become a spectacle," Mitch spoke flatly.

"That's how it is I guess," Blake responded. "We became a spectacle when we started dating Mia and Katy and they went public. Isn't any choice but to just deal with it."

"You know the spotlight isn't my speciality mate. Before I could just deflect it mostly onto Katy… But now that she's gone, I have to bear the brunt of it."

"Luckily you're here with me. We're best mates. We're gonna take on the world together," Blake assured. But he wasn't sure if he believed the words he spoke. Mitch wasn't the most optimistic.

When the two of them arrived at the front entrance, they peered outside to see an absolute mob of reporters and spectators awaiting them in the morning light. They pressed against a group of police officers pushing back to maintain the order. Blake and Mitch looked out into the group and gasped in shock. They moved forward only to be greeted by a mass of six men in dark grey suits. Each of them made Mitch seem like a small man compared to their massive forms. They beckoned forward. Blake and Mitch glanced nervously at each other, but it wasn't like they had a choice. "You're ride's here," the policeman said, pointing out to a black limo farther away. Blake and Mitch just shrugged but knew it was their best chance.

Into the morning light they strode, the suits pressing outward keeping the mob away from Blake and Mitch as reporters shouted questions from the outside. A million of them were flung at the two of them as they questioned the whereabouts of Mia and Katy, as well about everything mermaid related. Blake and Mitch stared straight forward and down and only worried about keeping their footing as they tread lightly forward They ignored the hammering words from the crowd, whether it be the jeers from the assholes or jabbing questions from the reporters. The group of them pushed through to a black limousine. Shoving back the crowd, the suits opened the door and shoved Blake and Mitch inside., slamming the door behind them.

Blake and Mitch settled into their seats, enjoying the silence away from the shouting crowd beyond the walls of the limo. They looked to the front of them, seeing a familiar dark skinned man sitting across from them. "Wait a second… We've met before. At the marine park right? Who are you again?" Blake questioned.

The man smirked, confidence yet sadness behind his eyes. "That is correct Blake. My name is Laurie. Good to see the both of you. We've got some work to do. The mermaids are in danger and we are going to do everything in our power to bring them home."

 **Well, a lot appears to have happened since we last left everyone. Make sure you follow and favorite so that you don't miss what happens next! Also, send a review to tell me what you liked. I read and respond to all of them. See you soon for the next chapter!**


	67. Chapter 65: Righteous Determination

**I'm back! Sorry it took me another month. I thought I would have more time this summer to write more after graduating… But that was not the case. I had a lot of things to figure out in my life, but I'm getting it down now. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. It brings back some pretty famous characters. So, stay tuned!**

 **Chapter 65: Righteous Determination**

Benjamin Mckay adjusted his tie in the mirror. The bright scarlet of the tie contrasted sharply against his blue jacket and white shirt. He looked like he was about to run for president. Ben chuckled for a moment in his stupid joke. He forced away his smile and returned to his previous state of righteous determination. He didn't have time to be happy or make jokes now. His nightmare had come true. Not too long after he had found she was a mermaid, his daughter Anna had been captured by the authorities because of the worst possible scenario. Apparently, mermaids have severe blackouts because of the full moon, and Anna's brainwashed self tried hard to be defensive, leading to the capture of her and the other mermaids. It was what Denman, Farley, and the others had explained to him before they escaped. He couldn't believe any other option on why Anna had done such a thing. Even so, he knew what he had to do.

Ben was not going to let that be the end of the story. He was going to do everything in his power, every resource available to him, to rescue his daughter. He looked to his right, below the mirror. A smiling picture of Sam sat on the dresser. She looked beautiful, the flowery dress she always wore, and the beaming smile that glowed as brilliantly as her short copper hair. He picked up the photo and stared deeply into it. "I promise to you Sam. If you're watching from somewhere above, I promise I will do everything in my power to bring our daughter back home." He set the picture back down, careful to wipe the tear beginning to form in his right eye.

Ben stepped away from the mirror with a newly determined focus. He wasn't going to let anyone take away the one person he cared about more than anything in life. Ben walked casually downstairs. He braced himself. Ben knew what was going to be coming as soon as he set foot outside that door. A massive wall of photographers and journalists battered him almost immediately. He could barely breathe as the news crews pressed in harder, trying to get a good story from the despondent father of the captured mermaid. This was what he had expected though. He was constantly around celebrities and musical artists with massive followings at Rally Records. He knew the journalists and paparazzi at their worst.

Ben pressed on through the crowd and arrived at the black SUV sent by Rally Records. The security man in a dark crisp suit flung open the door and Ben dove into the back seat. The driver only looked back and nodded at him and began to drive away. Ben watched as the scenery around him changed as the drive progressed. The driver didn't converse with him at all as they continued. Ben preferred it that way. He had a lot to focus on at the moment.

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The drive went quicker than Ben had anticipated, but only just so. They had arrived at the Los Angeles Zoo. The driver swung around to the back entrance, toward the service area of the Zoo. _Figures they'd send the girls to a zoo. Pitiful._ Ben angrily ranted to himself. _All the work Sara did to humanize mermaids and it basically comes to nothing. They're being treated like animals._ The SUV traveled toward the back gate, stopping at the drop off point. Two other men stood facing the SUV, yet a closed gate stood behind them. No one else stood around, but Ben had a feeling that there were definitely government agents watching his every move.

Ben stepped out to face the two men. They were both blond, but that was the only distinguishing feature similar between. The one on the right was much taller, tanned, and toned than the other. He looked like a professional athlete, or even possibly a model. The other was shorter with lighter hair and skin, and much thinner than the one next to him, and he carried a briefcase in his right hand, handcuffed to him. Both of them were wearing pressed suits much like Ben. Either way, the two of them looked much younger than Ben expected for government agents.

"Where is my daughter?" Ben demanded to the two men. "I have come because I know you are keeping her and four others captive here as mermaids."

"You must be Benjamin McKay," the short one spoke. "I'm glad you're here. We heard you were coming to see about rescuing your daughter, and we had to make sure to talk to you; mostly because we need to work together."

"We got this far but…. Now they won't even talk to us," The taller one added. "And I do not want us to get this far for nothing."

Ben raised an eyebrow, immediately recognizing the accent from the both of them. It was straight out of Australia. They weren't government agents by far. But… who were they? "Excuse me for being the slightest bit skeptical, but you seem to know who I am and I have no idea who you are. I only care about my daughter, so I would like to get through."

"They captured people we care about too, Mr. McKay," The thinner one added. "My name is Lewis McCartney. They've taken my girlfriend Cleo Sertori. I'm here to get her back, same as you with your daughter. This is Will Benjamin: my good friend. They took his girlfriend Bella Hartley."

"Good to meet the both of you. I had wondered who the other girls really were. I only know they had some connection to my daughter being a mermaid," Ben spoke. "I think that we don't need to beat around the bush about what's going on here. I'm willing to do anything to get my daughter back. She means the world to me after the death of my wife. I expected to do this all alone."

"We've feared this day would come for a long time," Will spoke ominously. "When we heard about Sara being revealed as public, we feared it would only be a matter of time before public opinion could turn against the mermaids. And now, the worst has come true. And even worse, the people we care about are captured."

Lewis fished around his pocket for a second. He grabbed something and pulled back his hand, revealing a brilliant ring in his right hand. "Cleo was supposed to come back to San Diego today before, well, what happened. I was going to propose to her when she returned, as it would be the anniversary of the day we met back when we were kids." Lewis stopped for a moment, and Ben swear he thought he saw a tear in Lewis' eye. Lewis steeled himself and continued again. "You don't have to doubt my resolve Mr. McKay. I will do everything in my power to save the girl I love."

Ben nodded confidently at Lewis. He respected his resolve. It reminded him of the love he felt for Sam so long before. Ben turned to Will. "And what about you Mr. Benjamin?"

"Ditto what Lewis said for me," Will chuckled. "In all seriousness, I made a promise to do everything in my power to support mermaids because of Bella. And damn it, no way in hell am I going to let them take her away from me."

"Alright. Lewis and Will, let's take back the girls we care about," Ben stated adamantly.

"We need to get in first," Lewis spoke. "We were able to get this far, like Will said. But now, nobody has come to let us in, and getting arrested for trespassing would be a poor way to rescue the girls. They have to talk to us eventually."

"If we were, hypothetically speaking in case they're listening, to stage a rescue attempt, we would need more planning," Will added.

Ben furrowed his brow, crossing his arms. "A rescue attempt would be ill-fated even if it were to succeed," he spoke sternly. "We must convince the world that mermaids are not harmful and deserve to live free lives away from harm. Although… I honestly have no idea how to do that."

Lewis lifted up the briefcase attached to his wrist. "This is what I have." He spoke. "Zane may have had his 'Operation: Endgame' or whatever he called it. But, I have something better to help us out."

"What is that?" Ben asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," Will added critically.

The three of them turned past the gate to see a security guard in full gear with a rifle attached across his chest walk toward them, key in hand. "As it turns out, my company has a lot of pull in Los Angeles, and a somewhat famous executive does have a lot of pull. They knew I was coming," Ben spoke nonchalantly.

"Welcome Mr. McKay," The security guard stated unemotionally. "You can come in."

"Yes sir," Ben responded.

Ben stepped through the newly opened gate. Will and Lewis followed slowly behind only to be stopped two steps later by the security guard stepping in front of them, hands moved up to grip his rifle, ready to shoulder if need be. "Where do you two think you're going?" The guard questioned strongly. 

Lewis and Will faltered, staring at each other dumbly. Ben turned around, slightly annoyed. "These two are my associates," he stated confidently. "They are to come with me immediately."

The guard stared forward a few tense moments, unblinking and unmoving. Then, he lowered his hands off his rifle and turned toward Ben, starting off to lead them. "Understood Mr. McKay. Please follow me."

Lewis and Will took a few nervous steps forward. This time it was Ben's turn to block their way forward. Ben faced the two of them, determined scowl on his face. "I am risking my reputation and my daughter for the both of you," He spat frustratingly. "I am only allowing this because your girlfriends are in the same position as my daughter. I don't know you at all. But, we must work together to figure this out. However you two must always follow my direction and lead. I am the leader here and I have more experience than the both of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Don't worry about us," Lewis stated. "I've known the mermaids for several years. There is literally no one alive that know more about mermaids than me. I've been preparing for this eventuality for several years."

Will spoke up. "Bella was the person who helped me out during some of my worst times. My life was saved by a mermaid. I am in their debt. I'm going to do everything I can to save them. I'm with you Mr. McKay."

Ben nodded approvingly. "Good to hear. Sounds like you're now part of the team then. Farley called it something like Team Mako… I have no idea what that means but…"

"Did you say Mako?" Lewis asked, the three of them beginning to walk behind the security guard toward the inner bowels of the zoo.

"Yes. Farley only mentioned it as a part of our group. I'm not sure too much of the significance," Ben spoke.

"Forget its significance," Will spat, "There's more important things at work here and the information is too secretive for its own good."

"Fine enough for me," Ben responded flatly. "I only care about my daughter. Nothing else matters to me at the moment besides bringing her home safely."

The three of them continued following the security guard through the back paths of the zoo. He led them through a metal door into a command center of types. Computers and papers were strewn everywhere. Ben furrowed his brow curiously. He half expected the scientists inside to be wearing the stereotypical white lab coats and taped up glasses. But, the people inside were all dressed casually, with only a few wearing the glasses Ben chuckled about. But they were busy discussing information quietly to themselves, of what Ben did not know. Were there any updates on his daughter and the four other girls? He was going to find out very quickly the case for sure. What was expected were the large number of guards placed around the room, each carrying a rifle much like the one that had let the three of them in. That alone showed how serious the operations were here and how dire the situation was for his daughter. The scientists all looked up and stared at the three of them walking slowly, through the room, their eyes unmoving. _They know who we are and why we've come._ Ben concluded. _Perhaps they had considered the mermaids are mere animals, and they would not have family or people that care about them. They would be wrong._

The nameless guard led the three men into an office and shut the door behind them. Sitting behind an office desk was a young woman of around thirty with hair tied tight in a neat bun behind her desk. She had the large brown-rimmed glasses that were almost too big for her face, but she was dressed in a business suit, looking like she was more set for a lawroom drama then a military laboratory. The man standing next to her was obviously some kind of federal agent, with a black suit and black tie. Either that or he was trying to cosplay as Will Smith's character from Men in Black sans sunglasses and neuralyzer. It did help that there was a faint outline of a holster at his hip, hinting of the powerful weapon there.

The woman looked up and frowned upon seeing the guard bring in the three men. "And the man has come to see what awaits him..." She spoke poetically. "You must be Benjamin McKay. I am Amy Hausman, and I am the head researcher at this laboratory. Or… this emergency lab that has been set up."

"That I am," Ben spoke flatly. "I have come to see my daughter. I believe you are holding here against her will. I'd like her to be released."

"You are painfully naive to assume you could just come in here and demand something like that," The suited federal agent spat out of nowhere.

"And just who the actual fuck are you?" Ben spoke angrily.

The man reached into the inside of his suit jacket and pulled out a badge from the inner pocket. It was engraved with "Federal Bureau of Investigation" clearly across the badge. "My name is Miles White; FBI. I am helping to oversee a federal government investigation on the subject of mermaids with my associate Andrew Negra. So, I would appreciate an amount of respect from you. Especially with regards to your daughter."

"Duly noted Agent White," Ben spoke sarcastically.

"Now we obviously were expecting you Mr. McKay. There were definitely some strings pulled to get you here, but what about your two associates? We only allowed them in here because you apparently vouch for them," Agent White spouted.

"Right of course. This is Will Benjamin and Lewis McCartney. You appear to have 'kidnapped' their girlfriends and they are rightly a bit angry, just as I am," Ben spoke.

"We are not kidnapping them," Dr. Hausman corrected. "We are keeping them here to research their abilities scientifically so we can understand more about them. We are doing everything in our care to make sure they have a comfortable stay in our care."

"That just sounds like kidnapping with extra steps," Will countered. "They are captured here against their will with no proper court proceedings."

"They fled police custody and attempted assault on other officers who were trying to bring them in. As well, they have serious supernatural powers that could possess a danger to people everywhere. So, I'm sorry that you wish for them to walk freely but that is not going to happen," Agent White reminded them. "Until we discern that they are not going to be a massive threat to other people and humanity as a whole, they will be kept in custody."

"How much time will this take?" Ben questioned. Now, he was beginning to become impatient. He didn't come all this way to get condescended to by a federal agent with a god complex. Even though Ben was defiant, he had heard the news. He had heard what his daughter had done. Ben still didn't blame the overly cautious knee jerk reaction of the authorities to contain the mermaids, seeing as they didn't entirely understand. At least, he didn't entirely blame them.

"We are going to conduct as much research we can until we are satisfied with the understanding of their abilities and threats and submit that research to the government to make a determination at what level of species danger level they are," Dr. Hausman explained, "I understand this must be hard for you, and I know to you these girls did nothing wrong. But, we must take caution when dealing with things we do not understand." She began shifting her notes. "Unfortunately there may be some time as we do not have much research and understanding to go on and have very little idea of where to begin."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," Lewis spoke up. Everyone turned to him in a questionable look. He lifted up his briefcase to show everyone in the room. "I figured this may come in handy. I understand that I am not a doctor and am only currently receiving my undergraduate degree in Marine Biology. Yet, over the past several years I have been doing extensive research with my girlfriend Cleo, who you now have captive here by the way, on what her mermaid abilities encapsulate. All of this data could be useful in speeding up the process by which you conduct your scientific research."

Dr. Hausman's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? This could potentially save us weeks! We had tried to access Dr. Linda Denman's research she had done with Sara Meyer to save some time, but we were unable to reach her, and she seems to have fled anyway. If you seriously have useful research that we can use, and with one of the mermaids already in our custody, that would be impeccable."

Lewis lowered his arm and took a step forward. "I have one condition," he spoke confidently, much to the surprise of Ben. "I want to be a part of your research team here Dr. Hausman. I care about this work I've done and I care a lot for the safety of the mermaids. I want to make sure this research is done to the best of what we can do for their sakes. Let me work with you using my knowledge and data and skill." He reached into the briefcase and pulled out a page of his notes, handing it over to Dr. Hausman. "Take a look and see exactly what I mean. You'll find that the research is sound and my method is detailed."

"You must be mad if we allow someone like you to participate in this delicate project!" Agent White spat. "This is federal government business, you aren't American, and you have way too much a conflict of interest to even begin to assume you should take part in this!"

"Wait a second…" Dr. Hausman trailed off. Her face was buried deep in the page of notes given to her by Lewis. "Wait but that…." She looked up. "This is good Lewis, especially for someone your age. Your note taking is impeccable… Agent White, we need his research. So much of some of the basic research we need is in these notes. As well, we need him. This shows his detailed work and analytical abilities."

"Did you not listen to what else I said?" Agent White responded angrily. "We cannot trust him!"

"We have multiple guards around the clock. I highly doubt he's going to release our mermaids. There is absolutely nowhere they could hide or run. And as well he would probably go to jail for a long time so I doubt he'd risk it," Dr. Hausman responded, turning to Lewis.

"I want Cleo and the others to be able to live in peace. Releasing them would assure they would live in constant worry the rest of their lives. Believe me, I want nothing more than to see this research take place, even at the behest of my own curiousity," Lewis added.

"Lewis' research here is going to save us a lot of money and time," Dr. Hausman spoke succinctly. "And, the longer that we keep these girls here, the longer that public opinion could sway against us. With the elections coming up soon, they could elect someone who would rather see the girls released before we're done. And that could put your job in jeopardy, Miles"

"One last thing," Lewis put in. "If you did this on your own without me, getting the girls to cooperate would be almost impossible. To them, you all are their enemies. They will do everything in their power to hinder your research and resist you at every turn, no matter how long it takes. With me being their, it will give them peace of mind to open up and be more cooperative. Believe me. I know them. They will resist every single action you take. They will do everything to slow your investigation and destroy your research. Not to their detriment, but anyone in their position would do the same thing."

Everyone turned toward Agent White. He scowled for several tense seconds, contemplating what everyone had said. He looked as if his head was about to pop. Eventually he turned backward, facing the back wall. Will and Lewis exchanged nervous glances, and Ben just stood there stoic as ever. "I'll see what I can do. If this turns out, I will be promoted...," Agent White spoke quietly. He faced Dr. Hausman, coming within inches of her face. "This man is now your responsibility Doc. If he so much as breathes in the wrong direction, I will destroy you and your reputation." He turned to the three of them. "The other two of you are dismissed. I'm sick of this." Agent White walked over the other side of the room, sitting behind another desk.

"If you're ready, we can start as soon as possible," Dr Hausman spoke. "I need those notes. You're a lifesaver Lewis."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lewis smiled. He, Will, and Ben quietly left the office, with Dr. Hausman standing and following them. They stood once again in the command center, with chaos abound.

Ben turned to Lewis. "That was… unexpected," Ben spoke, extremely surprised at Lewis' confidence. "Thank you for anything you can do." Ben fell silent for a moment. "When you see my daughter…. Tell her that I won't ever give up hope on her… Tell that I Love her…" He finished the sentence with a tear rolling down his cheek. Ben quickly turned, stifling his pain and wiping his tear. He then reached out and shook Lewis' hand before stepping away.

Lewis turned to Will. Will put a hand on Lewis' shoulder. "All your work has come to this, mate. Do us proud. Tell Bella how much I care for her and will be waiting for her to be free once again."

"Both of you, I will do the best of my ability. I will not rest. I will work relentlessly with Dr. Hausman to make sure this research is done correctly and the girls no longer have to live in fear," Lewis responded confidently. He turned to Dr. Hausman. "If you're ready, I'm ready."

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Some time later, Lewis was dressed in a pressed white lab coat. His mind was laser focused. He had shown Dr. Hausman all of his research, and he gave a quick summary of what he had uncovered over his several years of being friends and then dating Cleo and being around the mermaids. Dr. Hausman had listened eagerly and furiously took some quick notes based on his explanation.

He stared out through the screens in front of him. They showed the view of a camera looking inside of the holding area where the mermaids were. In the center was a man-made island with a palm tree and rocks. Surrounding it was ten foot deep water in all directions, providing both land and sea for both sides of the mermaids. Lewis shrugged to himself. _If I was designing a zoo habitat for mermaids, this is probably similar to what I would think. Even though, god damn it, mermaids don't belong in zoos!_ He snapped himself out of it and still looked onward. It was still good then, that there was a retractable walkway connecting the main door of the command center to the island in the center of the habitat. He squinted to the center and gasped. He saw five beings sitting on the island…. Including a skinny girl with olive skin and dark hair. _Cleo…._

Dr. Hausman came up behind him. "I know as scientists we're supposed to be unemotional and purely logical, but it's the work we do that brings joy. And, I hope we can do that for you and you mermaid girlfriend."

"Thank you Dr. Hausman," Lewis responded. "I'm ready to do whatever I need."

"Well, prepare yourself. We're going in there to meet them."

"Are you sure? I mean… we should think about preparing…"

"They need to meet me for sure, and like you said, you need to be there to encourage their cooperation," Dr Hausman added.

"Understood." Lewis affirmed.

"Remember Lewis, my ass is on the line for this. Don't make me regret this," Dr. Hausman warned strongly.

"I would never dare risk my and especially Cleo's life for some stupid attempt to free them. I care more about them through this research that we're going to do," Lewis explained, wracked with anxiousness.

"Ok… Let us go."

The two of them walked toward the main doors. The guards nodded and stood aside for the two scientists. The automatic doors opened in front of them, and Lewis and Dr. Hausman stepped into the airlock. Lewis could feel the sweat build up in his lower back and he contemplated what he could even do or say. Dr Hausman noticed his nervousness and gave a few friendly and reassuring pats on his shoulder. A light flashed a few times, and then the doors in front of them opened slowly, revealing the island habitat. The metal walkway extended in front of them toward the sandy beach of the fake island.

Lewis took a few cautious steps down the ramp, looking out onto the island. His feet were heavy and his legs weak. And then rounding the biggest rock, a beautiful face caught his eye. _Cleo_. She looked up at him and he almost fell backwards as their eyes connected. Tears began to fill her eyes as she gazed at him, hope filling them as much as the tears. A small smile pursed her lips.

"Dr. McCartney reporting for duty," He joked confidently.

 **I hoped you liked the return of Lewis! He's gonna be a great part going forward. Make sure to pay attention as we go for Cleo's side of the reunion. It's gonna be great! Anyway, make sure to leave a review! I want to hear your thoughts on everything. I'll see you soon!**


	68. Chapter 66: Out to Sea

**Sorry it took me 2 months to post a new chapter… I've been pretty busy with a lot of things. But I made it! I wish I could've released sooner, but I've had a lot of things to deal with it. Anyway, I'm here for you to release chapter 66! Hope you Like it!**

 **Chapter 66: Out to Sea**

Zane stood on the stern of the Redemption, looking at the crystal blue waters of the South Pacific spread out before him in every direction. There was no sense of civilization anywhere to be seen; nothing but the watery depths of the ocean. The only sanctuary from the blue hell was the frighteningly small research boat he was currently stranded on. It wasn't terrible, considering the alternative. Mitch and Blake had been left behind to deal with the authorities, whatever that may be. The world had jolted a knee jerk reaction to learning that mermaids had "super powers." And, seeing how Sara and others had used them for violence had turned the entire world against them. And now, they were all on the run.

He went back into the vessel to get some much needed refuge from the blisteringly hot summer sun. He sat back in the research room, studying the maps and charts strewn across the desk. He was trying to make as much sense as he could from what he knew about their position and direction. Their group's goal had been, for the past few days since they had escaped, to get away from Australia and Gold Coast as fast as possible. Now, a full week had passed since their flight from the coast, leaving them in the middle of a vast ocean. At that moment, they had to plan their next move and decide how in the hell they were going to come back from this defeat.

Zane sat back, tussling his matted and greasy hair. It had been a rough week for him. The only bathing he could do was by lowering himself over the side of the boat into the sea, and careful to not go too far or he'd be swept away. He could get his food from fish that the mers caught, and water was easy to come by. Elliot could use his new found hydrokinesis to pull clean, fresh, water straight from the sea for everyone, completely free of salt. He seemed to have inherited all three of the main powers of hydrokinesis, cryokinesis, and pyrokinesis. But, unlike Farley, they were in equal proportion in terms of power. Even so, it was useful to have both him and Mia around so they could cook whatever fish they brought in for the day using their heating powers. It allowed them to have some amount of comfort, despite their situation.

Zane perked up when he heard a couple of grunts coming from the back of the boat, and he stood up swiftly. He strode toward the door swiftly, eager to see which of the mers had returned from their late afternoon swim. Well… unless sharks had suddenly gained sentience and wanted to jump onto the boat. Zane chuckled in amusement. He emerged back into the heat of the afternoon, donning his bucket hat and sunglasses to protect from the burning sun. He looked out to see Mia struggling to pull herself onto the boat from the ocean, her tail struggling to push upward onto the deck and instead flailing annoyingly in the sea water. The deck floor was too slippery, and she couldn't gather enough leverage to fully pull her body up onto the boat "Need a little help there cousin?" Zane teased from the doorway.

Mia looked up at Zane, slightly annoyed. "Zane if you don't get your arse in gear and help me get on the boat I will boil you alive," She stated angrily.

Zane just chuckled, walking over and grabbing Mia's hand, helping to pull herself into the research boat and out of the foaming sea. "You don't have to be so angry. Just because your powers are mostly about boiling doesn't mean your attitude has to get heated," he joked. "Although I do prefer it if I wasn't boiled alive. Sounds like it could be painful."

"Very funny," Mia rolled her eyes and laid onto her back. She reached her hand out and began steaming herself dry to get rid of her tail for the moment.

"Where are the rest of the crew?" Zane asked, stepping back away from the steam.

"Katy found a large fish for dinner and is busy trying to bring it in for us to eat. But, she was having trouble last time I saw her. She still is a small girl even with a long tail," Mia spoke, the last of the steam rolling off and her clothes returned. She stood to her feet, steadying herself on the boat bobbing up and down in the waves. "As for Elliot and Lizzy…. They're probably off somewhere making out underwater, or something even grosser than that. Ever since they started dating they've been too close to each other."

"And why shouldn't they be around each other?" Zane responded. "They're a new and young couple, and plus they're both discovering how to be mers together. As far as I know, the both of them are the first mer couple to start their relationship and being mers at the same time. Even so, they gotta get over the honeymoon phase first, and soon they'll return to normal. I know that I'm glad that Rikki and I are no longer like that. But let me tell you at the beginning..."

"Shut it Zane! I don't want to hear it," Mia spat. She calmed herself a moment. "Yeah well… The only reason my boyfriend didn't come with us is the fact that he doesn't have a goddamn tail," Mia spoke, slightly frustrated. "So maybe I'm only a bit bitter that they get to be together now even though our shit is falling apart."

"Well, they still are the only couple where both members are mers… besides Farley and Sara of course," Zane added at the very end, hesitating for fear of Mia's reaction to his mention of Sara. He got his answer in only a quick second. Mia's demeanor immediately dropped. She leaned against the side of the boat, eyes downcast. "You miss her don't you," Zane noted, careful not to make his cousin feel even worse, as she probably blamed herself at least somewhat for Sara's disappearance.

"She's gone Zane. I know she has to be alive somewhere! But... she's gone… We don't even know where to begin looking for her. She actually started flying! Which means she could be absolutely anywhere! And, we aren't in exactly the best state to start looking for her. We are fugitives! We are running from the law! We are lost out to sea, with nowhere to go, our friends are captured or lost, and we barely know what we're doing," Mia ranted, finally releasing the anger she had pent up over several days.

"I wish I knew what we could do. I don't have anything at the moment," Zane admitted. "We need to focus right now on surviving so we can plan our next move hopefully sometime soon."

"And what is our next move?" Mia challenged. "We've got nothing." Zane faltered. He had no answer to give Mia's rant. Luckily, the tension was interrupted by the surfacing of Elliot and Lizzy at the end of the boat. Their hands were intertwined with each other as they surfaced, annoying Mia and Zane with their incessant infatuation. They were smiling at each other, oblivious to Mia and Zane as they pulled themselves up and onto the Redemption. "Well, if it isn't the two lovebirds," Mia teased with a tinge of animosity. "Or, I should say lovemers!" Elliot and Lizzy just groaned unenthusiastically at Mia's terrible joke. Zane assisted the two of them in pulling themselves up onto the relative dryness of the deck of the research boat where they could at least begin to dry themselves.

Elliot and Lizzy looked up at Zane and Mia from their perspective lying on the bottom of the Redemption's deck, a bit embarrassed. "Uh… Yeah sorry…" Elliot stumbled. "With all that's been going on, we're trying to get it all figured out together. We're somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and we're trying to figure out how to have our tails. But, at least we have each other."

"I'm just playing around," Mia shrugged. "Sorry you took it so harshly. We've all been through the ringer lately. We've had to leave behind friends and family to escape. Not much against that I can say for Blake and Mitch. I wish we could've brought them with but..." Mia couldn't finish, and instead she bit her tongue to avoid feeling sadder.

"Don't forget my sister," Elliot fired back, a bit harsher than he meant. "And Bella, Cleo, and two of the new mermaids that Sara met in California. They're probably getting dissected, or at the very least turned into some kind of freak show!"

Lizzy rubbed his back. "We can only keep hope for ourselves and try to figure out what our next plan of attack is," she spoke confidently. But then she faltered, turning to Mia and Zane. "What is our next plan exactly?"

Zane shrugged, shaking his head. "I was hoping we could come up with that plan together. Just because I'm older doesn't mean that I have all the answers."

"Oh and your 'Operation Endgame' doesn't have anything in it for something like this?" Mia chastised, crossing her arms. "Where's the 'man-with-a-plan' Zane we've come to think of you all as?"

Zane turned angrily to Mia. "I don't see you coming up with anything! I'm the one who's been working god damn hard to make sure that mermaids were treated with respect!"

"And look where that got us Zane!" Mia shot back. "We're in the middle of the fucking ocean, on the run! We're in a terrible boat, away from civilization trying to figure things out so I don't think your work amounted to anything!"

"And what have you done besides complain?!" Zane shouted. "I'm at least trying to do something here!"

"Both of you shut up for one goddamn second!" shouted a voice from the back of the boat. Katy appeared behind them, lifting a heavy fish out of the water and slamming it up and onto the deck of the boat before shooting piercing daggers of her eyes onto the two of them. Elliot and Lizzy just remained silent and in shock at Katy's sudden outburst. Katy strongly pulled herself onto the boat, needing no help from the others. "I'm so sorry that this isn't entirely working out in our favor right now, but bickering about it ain't helping. Now, Mia, if you would be so kind to steam dry me that would be much appreciated."

Mia snapped out of her shock and walked over with an extended hand and began using her powers to evaporate the water off of Katy. Elliot and Lizzy pulled themselves out as well, and using Elliot's heat powers began working on both of them, steaming the area around them. Zane took a step back and began to wait impatiently as they furiously worked. He knew well to stay clear when the mers were busy.

Within a minute or so, the tails returned to legs, and Elliot, Lizzy, and Katy stood to their feet. Without a second word, they began working on dinner using the big fish that Katy had grabbed. Zane helped clean and gut the fish, using some of the instruments and tools in the Redemption with Elliot's help and guidance. At the same time, Mia and Lizzy worked on creating a fire with Mia's heat powers. Soon, on the back deck away from anything flammable, they had a controlled flame, sliding a metal great over top to work as a cooking service for their fish fillets. Katy stood by watching. She had brought in the food, so she was allowed to rest for the night and not worry about readying the food. To be fair, her freezing powers were almost useless when it came to actually cooking anything.

Soon, the fish was searing over the open fire, with Zane careful to keep the lapping flames low to avoid burning the tender fishy flesh. Within 10 minutes of careful cooking on both sides, the fish was completely done, and the five of them sliced up the fish evenly and distributed it on the plates found in the Redemption's miniscule kitchen. They began to eat in relative silence on the back deck, watching the sun setting over the open ocean with brilliant hues of orange and red.

"So… have you noticed that being a mer you have a higher liking toward seafood?" Mia asked to Elliot and LIzzy, trying to drum up some interesting conversation and beat away the impending dread.

"I've spent my entire life around the sea," Elliot spoke between bites. "I've always loved seafood, so I don't notice the differences really. I still love fish and prawns more than most other foods."

"Basically same," Lizzy added. "And no, I'm not trying to copy my boyfriend." She added a little extra sass to match what she thought Mia would come back with. "I've always loved seafood, but this fish does taste really good despite the lack of seasoning."

"What else should we expect going forward?" Elliot asked.

"A lot of accidental changes to your mer form," Katy joked. "Any accidental splash of water, and you have ten seconds to get it dried or get to a hiding spot. Granted… It may not be about hiding anymore since the world knows of us."

Elliot and Lizzy nodded silently, turning their gaze downward. No matter what they tried to do, it was impossible to escape their reality. They were fugitives, forced to run from the world. They had no idea how to escape. "Yeah… I kinda figured that would be the case," Elliot spoke softly.

"Hey, we have to keep hope that the world is going to turn toward justice," Katy spoke warmly, trying to bring back the happy feeling they all once had before. "There are those in this world who want us to live free. We have to believe in them."

"Katy's relentless optimism may sometimes be annoying," Mia joked before returning to a more serious tone, "but it's so important that we feel that now. We can never give up the fight."

"Tomorrow, let's come up with a plan so that we can fully decide how we want to deal with this," Zane spoke up. "I'm going to do everything I can for you all."

"Good plan," Mia spoke, right before she yawned loudly. "Ok, sun's going down. Let's go to be before it gets too dark."

The others nodded silently in agreement. They were all tired from a long day. The five of them closed down the dinner area and returned to the cabin. The bedroom on the Redemption was tiny, but it had six cots slatted into the walls, perfect enough for the five of them with even another left over. They all went about their night time routines the best they could before clambering into bed. Elliot and Lizzy shared a long kiss before they returned to their cots. And, one by one, they all fell asleep.

That is, except for Zane. He couldn't find any sleep at all. He rolled over several times, trying to find a comfortable position, but he couldn't get comfortable no matter how he tried. His mind kept flipping back to the past couple weeks. He was wanting to propose to Rikki during her time in Los Angeles. He and Lewis had been talking for so long about proposing to Rikki and Cleo respectively. But now… Rikki was somewhere long gone, hopefully escaped away from California, and Cleo was captured and possibly being dissected. _What has everything come to_. Zane thought to himself. _Everything we have worked for… Gone… What left do we have but to fight?_ Zane didn't have an answer. But he continued thinking for several minutes until the exhaustion came to him, and he fell asleep, still no answer to the question of the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Morning. Another day in the middle of the goddamn dawned upon them. Katy woke up early, the reality of their situation crashing into her hard. She steadied herself in her cot for several minutes, careful to control the negative emotion as it ravaged her mind. It was a rough week for all of them. Katy felt terrible about having to leave Mitch behind to get arrested. And, Sara was god knows where somewhere across the world, and Team Mako was in shambles.

Katy tossed and turned for several minutes, unable to return to sleep. Fed up, she jumped out of bed, careful not to wake up Mia sleeping above her. In the darkness of the cabin, she crept outward, feeling for the door. When she found it, she slowly opened it to avoid any noises and slipped out onto the deck.

Dawn was just beginning to break out to the east. Katy marveled at the brilliant hues of red and orange that burst from the flat plane of the horizon line. She walked back toward the back of the deck, looking out over the open ocean. Katy sat at the base of the boat, dangling her legs into the clear blue waters of the Pacific. Within moments, her tail appeared, and she moved it up and down in the water, admiring the glittering scales. She slipped directly into the warm water, allowing herself to fall several meters below the surface of the water.

This was where she found relaxation more than any place. Katy was home down here under the water. _I am a true mermaid._ Katy thought to herself. _I won't ever forget or want to leave my home in the world of people. But… I never want to give this up._ Katy closed her eyes, only feeling the perfect water around her. Another idea came to her mind. Such, as she did everyday, she stretched out her mind to the far reaches in order to find Sara. _Sara. If you can hear me, please reach out. We need you. We love you. We don't blame you for what happened. But we need you. You're our true friend. And, we mermaids need to stick together._

Nothing came back to her; the same as every other day Katy had tried it. Katy sighed. All of this was a fruitless effort. Sara obviously didn't want to be contacted or found. _We're at a loss… If only we could contact Farley somehow, we could link up with the other group that hopefully fled California…. But he can only use telepathy with Sara. Wait…. Maybe there is a way to reach him!_ An idea formulated in Katy's mind. She couldn't let it go, so she burst upward, taking a few massive strokes with her tail and gliding up to break the surface of the water. She used the momentum to springboard her onto the ship.

The landing was rough on Katy's body, who crashed down onto the deck of the boat in a heap. She cringed for a moment, allowing the sharp pain to subside. There didn't feel like any injury, but in her excitement, her launch onto the boat was fueled by adrenaline and not a smart idea in hindsight.

The main door opened in a panic, and Mia's worried face showed through. Her shock turned to empathy as she saw Katy curled up at the bottom of the boat. "Let me guess, you landed too hard on the boat?" Mia questioned sarcastically.

"Don't make fun of me," Katy moaned, still slightly in pain. "And… Please dry me off with your powers."

Mia rolled her eyes, chuckling at her best friend rolling on the ground. "Ok fine, hold still. I'll get you dry in just a moment." Mia held out her hand and clenched a fingers. A cloud of steam rose off of Katy's tail as Mia used her powers to boil away the excess water. Within a minute, Katy was completely dry, and she jumped to her feet, excitement beginning to come up once again.

"I have an idea!" Katy exclaimed.

Mia raised an eyebrow. "About what?" She asked, questioning Katy's overall attitude. Usually that level of emotion was par for the course from her.

"It's a long shot…" Katy began. "But there could be a way we could telepathically link up with Farley even though we don't have that connection with him."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Bring everyone together," Katy spat. "They'll all need to hear this."

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Twenty minutes later, everyone was up, dressed, and more or less awake. Katy gathered them together in the main research room on the vessel, prepared to give her longshot plan to the others. Elliot rubbed the sleep from his eyes while Zane yawned loudly. Katy cleared her throat and began. "So, I had a thought this morning. The biggest reason that we cannot contact the others right now, Farley in particular, is because Mia and I don't have a telepathic connection with him. We only have a telepathic connection with Sara, same as Farley."

"Then, how do we contact Farley?" Elliot blurted out. "It seems as though we don't have anything to go on."

"I'm getting to that," Katy retorted. "Anyway, we use an idea of a radio relay. We all combine our mer powers together, and then we use Mia and I's telepathic abilities to slingshot through Sara's mind to reach Farley. Sara obviously is not contacting us at all for obvious reasons, but we could use hers to get to Farley. If that is successful, we then need to prepare a list of info to give him, including what happened to Sara, what we've been doing, and where we will meet them. I don't know how long we can keep the connection, but we've got to try!"

Silence permeated the cabin. Katy's idea was too crazy right? There was no way they could use their telepathic minds as a slingshot… Or could they? "You could do that?" Zane questioned. As the only non-mer on the boat he had no concept for what could be done with their powers.

"I don't know," Katy shrugged. "Our powers… we honestly don't understand what their limits could be. I mean hell, Sara could fly using the extent of her powers… I'm sure it couldn't be too much of a stretch that we could use our powers to catapult off of Sara's mind to reach Farley."

"Could we control that type of power though?" Lizzy questioned. "Elliot and I have been mers for barely over a week. We barely understand how we're doing this. The fact that we have tails is completely new! And you're talking about contacting someone across the ocean!"

"I know… It's crazy… but we don't have another choice," Katy countered. "Eventually this boat will run out of fuel. And, we have to find a way out of this mess. This is the only thing we've come up with at the moment."

Mia stepped up and placed a hand on Katy's soldier. "You're absolutely crazy," Mia spoke. "But I'm in. You're right, we don't have any other plans right now. And this is the best we've got. Plus, I'm the only other one here who can connect to Sara's mind besides you.

Elliot and Lizzy just shrugged. "Sounds better than anything we can come up with," Elliot concluded. "I don't know any other way we can get out of this either."

Katy smiled as her friends joined onto her side. "Ok… So here's how we're going to plan it.

Ten minutes later, they had a plan in place. They had an exact script of what to tell Farley if and when they contacted him. The four mers stood in a circle, slightly turned toward Katy. She was the one to cast out her mind to reach Farley. It was her idea and she volunteered for it, but still it was a dangerous venture.

"Are you ready Katy?" Zane asked off to the side, ready to be clear if anything went wrong.

"Nope! But we don't have a choice," Katy concluded. "But let's do it." The others nodded as Katy readied herself. "Ok… I'm sending out my mind now. Everyone, start feeding me your powers now."

Katy cast out her mind into the wide abyss, searching for Sara's mind. It wasn't long before she was able to connect with it. _Sara… I know you don't want to talk to us… But we have to do this._ Then, all of a sudden, a burst of energy smashed into Katy's mind. The other mers were feeding her a ridiculous amount of their power. Katy felt her mind shoot outward from Sara's mind; out once again into the giant abyss. It was cold… Dark.. and there was nothing else to be heard.

Katy felt like screaming. She couldn't feel a thing in the cold and dark. Was she losing her mind? _Hello! Anybody!_ She shouted into the darkness. Nothing came back. Focusing her mind, the panic began to give way and she shot again toward a dim spot in the darkness that could barely be felt. Her mind stood against it, feeling its foreign yet familiar being against her own… _Hello?_ She questioned again.

A voice… Unmistakable… Farley was heard... _Katy is that you?_


End file.
